


Second time around

by theaa



Category: Heartland (TV)
Genre: Anyway - Quinn seems like a great character but maybe we'll be snaked, Did I write this because I find Jordan Burtchett to be wildly attractive? Perhaps, F/M, I wrote this for me but I guess you can read it too, Until then there's this, and my attempts to portray a realistic 19 year old in a relationship, anyway if you're the one other person who'll ever read this fic - hi!, nvm I still love it, would be nice if they addressed safe sex on the show but alas I think we'll die waiting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-12
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-02-01 05:59:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 32,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21407842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theaa/pseuds/theaa
Summary: Quinn's come back and this time he's sticking around. It's a little complicated, but for Georgie, it's really, really good.
Relationships: Georgie Fleming-Morris/Quinn McGregor
Comments: 70
Kudos: 62





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I am posting this into the void but whatever. I really hope Quinn does stick around, he seems like a great character who can really match Georgie and push her, whilst respecting her. Loved his line about nobody telling Georgie what to do. And he doesn't hurt to look at, which I'm sure Georgie knows. So I wrote this! I've marked it as explicit because it deals with what I consider fairly normal young people behaviour when raging hormones are involved - nothing really graphic, but, just so you know!

‘Stay.’  


‘I wish, Georgie, but I’ve got to get back to Fairfield before I’m too tired to even consider moving off this couch.’

Georgie reached for the remote and paused the movie credits rolling on the TV, turning to Quinn beside her.

‘Or you could just…. not.’

Quinn raised a dark blonde eyebrow. ‘Are you suggesting that me and this couch become one? Because trust me, it’s already happening. I gotta go, Georgie, before the fusion is complete.’

Georgie sighed and glanced out of the barn window. It was after 11pm and though it was August, the sun had long set. The sky was a hazy purple, full of shadows, and aside from the muffled snickering of the horses in their stalls downstairs, everything was quiet.

‘Or you could stay the night,’ she said again. ‘I think everyone’s turned in up at the ranch, so no-one will notice if your car is still outside,’ she added quickly.

Quinn’s other eyebrow jumped up to meet the first and he stared at her, equal parts surprised and wary.

‘And risk the peace I’ve managed to strike with your family? You realize that if Lisa decides to kick me out of the apartment at Fairfield I’m literally homeless?’ He said the last bit with a smile, but Georgie could tell he really was worried. The arm he’d hooked around the back of the sofa to play with her hair during the movie started sliding away as he moved to push himself off the couch. Georgie did the only thing she could think of to waylay him and scrambled into a sitting position - across his lap. Quinn, at least, sagged back down into the cushions. Although she had a feeling that he could have continued to stand up, even with her legs around him, as if she weighed hardly anything. The thought made her stomach swoop, just a little. 

Quinn was looking up at her with a faint smile. His short blonde hair swept sideways by his cowlick, but it stuck up in parts at the back thanks to his busy day of training and helmet wearing. His button-down was a pale blue, an imitation of his eyes, and she could feel the rough denim of his jeans through her leggings. 

‘Hey,’ she said softly.

‘Hey yourself,’ he replied, finally breaking out into a broad smile. The action made his eyes crinkle, and a matching pair of deep dimples appeared in his cheeks. Georgie’s hands moved almost involuntarily to cup his face, her thumbs finding the twin indentations and resting there. She stared down at him, unused to this vantage point, feeling almost slightly dizzied by the boy under her fingertips.

‘You know you’re, like, ridiculously beautiful, right?’ 

Georgie’s thumbs slipped as Quinn’s dimples deepened even further, his grin stretching wider. ‘It doesn’t hurt to hear it, so thank you. And also, I think that’s sort of the pot calling the kettle black. In a good way.’

She must have looked doubtful because Quinn moved a hand himself to cup her jaw. His fingers were long and hot against her skin. ‘You’re super beautiful Georgie. Inside and out, obviously, but if I may be superficial for a second?’

Realizing he was waiting for her permission Georgie nodded awkwardly and Quinn’s thumb against her cheek swept to drag across her mouth, tracing her bottom lip to stop in the middle and press with the lightest pressure. Georgie’s breath caught in her throat.

‘Your lips drive me insane. Every time I look at you. And this crease right here…’ 

He dragged his thumb down a millimeter and without thinking Georgie opened her mouth and let her tongue dart out to brush against the pad of his thumb. Immediately, Quinn sucked in a breath and let his hand fall. 

‘Alright, I should head out.’ His voice sounded a little hoarse. 

Georgie ignored him, ducking her head to fit her lips against his. They’d kissed so many times now, in Europe and here, but she hadn’t gotten used to it yet. Quinn still felt so new and exciting, intoxicating almost. She felt a hand slide into her hair again, and his other palm gripped at her thigh, anchoring her down, which was exactly what she wanted. She wanted _this_. Eventually, Quinn took control again, changing the angle of the kiss and moving his hand to her hip and tugging her closer until she slid so they were chest to chest. Her hands slipped to his shoulders and then to his chest, feeling his skin burn through the cotton. She wanted to feel the heat without the barrier, wanted to get closer somehow. She shifted her legs in agitation, and Quinn ripped away from where he’d been starting to tease her neck with kisses.

His breath was quick and loud in the loft and it matched her own.

‘Okay. I’m on thin ice on multiple fronts here, Georgie. It’s way past 11 and I gotta get back if I want any sleep tonight. And now I really gotta take a shower. Preferably with ice too.’

Georgie rolled her eyes. ‘Or you could just stay here with me.’

‘Please don’t make that sound any more inviting, because you have no idea how much I want to right now, Georgie,’ he groaned, flinging the back of an arm over his eyes in a dramatic fashion. Georgie giggled and he let it fall again to look at her beseechingly. 

‘C’mon, off my lap.’ He tapped at her hip, and Georgie, feeling a lot like a horse being instructed, refused. Instead, she squirmed a little and relished the immediate reaction of Quinn wincing. 

‘You’re a menace, Georgie Fleming-Morris, you know that?’ 

‘Uh-huh.’

‘Please let me get up so your family doesn’t murder me.’

‘My family aren’t murderers.’

‘Okay, but I really wouldn’t put it past Tim to beat my ass, at least.’

‘….That might be true. But it’s really none of my family’s business. I’m 19 and I live alone, Quinn. It’s my choice.’

Quinn let his head fall back against the sofa cushions in defeat, unwittingly giving Georgie a view of his strong, tanned neck. ‘So I’m just gonna be trapped on this sofa with you on top of me forever, huh?’

‘Seems that way.’

‘I guess I can think of worse things…’

He was smiling again, so Georgie bent to first kiss his dimples, which she just couldn’t resist, and then the sharp edge of his jaw, slightly raised with blonde stubble. It felt pleasingly rough against her lips. She moved to the pulse point at his neck and began to reciprocate his kisses from earlier before Quinn moaned and somehow rolled her off him. She landed next to him on the couch cushions with a surprise thump, slightly out of breath again.

‘Well, why didn’t you do that earlier?’

‘Guess I didn’t want to enough.’

She frowned. She thought he’d enjoyed the kissing. ‘And you do now?’

He cut a glance at her as if reading her mind. ‘That’s not it and you know it. We just gotta stop because I know you don’t mean _that_ when you say ‘stay the night’.’

Georgie found herself pouting. ‘Maybe I do.’

‘No, you don’t. And that’s okay, but I just gotta… you know. I love it when you get bossy, but not tonight, alright?’

Georgie stared at him. He’d said something similar more than a few times now - not the first bit, but the second bit. Was it just a turn of phrase? She let out a sigh and Quinn looked over at her again, a faint smile playing on his lips.

‘You’re freaking out right now, aren’t you?’

‘Freaking out? Why would I be?’

‘Because I said the L-word.’

‘The L-Word?’

He shook his head slightly ignoring her feigned ignorance. ‘I would have thought it was pretty obvious that I mean it. Georgie, I flew from Florida to here for you and now I’m staying and working and living here too. I think to everyone else it’s kind of obvious. I love you. I’ve known since Europe. I don’t expect you to say it back or anything, I mean I did kind of spring myself on you and now I guess I’m springing this on you too - it’s kind of my MO. But I should say it officially.’

‘You ‘officially’ love me?’ Georgie said, a little stunned.

Quinn grinned again. ‘Yes, I _officially_ love you.’

‘Quinn, I—'

‘Please don’t feel like you have to say it back. I’m just happy to be here. With you. I’m happy with you.’

Georgie bit her lip, somehow feeling like it might somehow tamper down the swooping feeling in her stomach again. ’Thank you for telling me. _Officially_. And for the record, I really, really, _really_ like you. It’s sort of insane how much I like you. In fact, it does kinda drive me crazy.’

Quinn chuckled. ‘Uh, thank you?’

‘You’re welcome. And I, uh, also _love_ kissing you.’

‘I’ll take it,’ he said, laughing. She leaned in to kiss him again, but this time they were both smiling too hard to do it properly and they soon broke away.

‘Hey, Georgie. Did, uh, did Wyatt, or anyone, uh, _stay the night_, before?’

She raised her eyebrows at him. ‘I thought we weren’t doing that?’

‘No, no. I just wanna know for the future, I guess.’

Georgie felt a little thrill at the word ‘future.’ She didn’t know what a future with Quinn might look like. For now Lisa had given him work and was preparing to sponsor his work visa from the US, but nothing was final yet. Still, it really did look as if he was planning on sticking around.

Her cheeks began to heat just a little at the question. ‘Uh, no. Wyatt and I were so on and off we kinda never got the chance. Adam and I were so young and there’s been no-one else really.’ She paused. ‘I bet you’ve had a tonne of girlfriends. I never really asked before.’ 

‘A couple of ex-girlfriends. And a couple of other times outside of that,’ he volunteered, with an easiness that took Georgie aback. She blinked. 

‘Oh.’

He reached out to smooth a hand up her thigh and Georgie instinctively knew he meant it as an attempt at reassurance rather than an invitation.

‘You wanna ask about them?’ he said, looking concerned. 

‘Not right now,’ she muttered. It was true, she’d never really considered his past relationships before, which was stupid because you’d really have a hard time ignoring how handsome Quinn was and besides, he’d had a whole life before her - and continued it after she broke up with him in Switzerland. 

‘That’s fair.’ Quinn paused, swiping a thumb in a regular rhythm across her thigh in a soothing motion. ‘So any plans as to how I’m gonna avoid being found out then? I’m assuming you’re gonna kick me out at, like, 5am tomorrow?’

‘You’re staying?’

‘I guess so.’

Georgie giggled. ’Then yeah, you should probably leave super early. Before Amy comes out to check on the horses.’

He sighed dramatically. ‘I knew it.’

Then he was pushing himself to his feet and holding out a hand to haul her up off the couch too.

‘I should probably try and get those 5 hours in then, at least. Do you wanna use the bathroom first?’

Georgie nodded and darted into the tiny bathroom. She brushed her teeth with less than stellar attention, too aware of Quinn on the other side of the door, her mind focused on what it’d feel like lying next to him in just a few minutes. 

When she came out Quinn was sat on the edge of the bed, checking his phone. 

‘Any news from your Dad?’

Quinn’s head jerked up at her voice but he shook his head. ‘No, thank God. Maybe he’s finally accepted that I’m gonna be out here a while.’

‘Maybe,’ Georgie agreed, trying to be positive. ‘Uh, there’s a spare toothbrush still in its packaging in the cabinet for you and there are some clean towels in the basket under the sink too.’ 

She blushed when talking, something about sharing domestic stuff like her back-up toothbrush feeling strangely intimate, but Quinn just nodded. ‘Thanks.’

While he was gone Georgie had a brief panic over what pajamas to wear before finally settling on a matching cotton pair with green trimming, shorts and a t-shirt. They were comfy and good for summer and she didn’t want to over-think it. She dove under the light summer sheets on the bed and waited for Quinn to appear again. 

When he did, her eyes widened. When she’d changed she’d wondered what Quinn would sleep in too. She’d guessed he’d leave his shirt off, but he’d already removed it when he came out of the bathroom and his chest was lightly defined and leanly muscled, as it would be from all his training and jumping. 

‘You must go to the gym a lot,’ she burst out before she could stop herself. 

Quinn laughed and placed his folded shirt on the chair by the bed. ‘I try and keep up my fitness, yeah, the same as you.’

‘Well I don’t look like _that,’ _she said, gesturing widely to his bare chest. 

‘Well, I’d sorta hope not. That’d be weird.’ Georgie rolled her eyes. 

He hesitated at the foot of the bed. ‘So uh, I can keep my jeans on if you want…’

‘You can take them off,’ she interrupted. She knew in summer they would be super uncomfortable to sleep in. Quinn smiled gratefully and moved to unbuckle his belt. Georgie watched with an increasingly dry mouth as he slid the belt off and wound it up, placing it on top of his shirt and then moving to the buttons on the fly of his jeans, popping them one by one, before working the denim off his legs. When he was done he folded the jeans too and was left in a pair of white boxers, revealing a fuzz of dark blonde leg hair. Georgie reflected idly on the fact that she’d never really found leg hair to be attractive - before now.

Quinn seemed amused by her obvious once over and struck a little pose for her. ‘Like what you see, huh?’

It was enough to snap Georgie out of it and she grabbed a throw cushion and threw it at him, only a little disappointed when he caught it deftly, laughing.

‘Shut up and come here!’

‘With pleasure.’

The bed dipped when he crawled under the covers. Georgie rolled onto her back and for a minute they lay next to each other, staring up at the barn ceiling. ‘I’ve set the alarm on my phone for the morning,’ he said softly.

‘Okay, good.’

She heard him sigh and then the mattress dipped again as he rolled towards her. She could feel the warmth from his body so close to hers, stretching out beside her. 

‘C’mon, roll to face the curtain,’ she heard him say and his instruction surprised her - it was away from him. 

She almost asked why, but then she felt a gentle hand at her hip and she obeyed, coaxed by the soft touch. She felt Quinn draw nearer until he was pressed against her back, the crooks of her knees tucked against his, skin to skin in so many places. She could feel him breathing, his chest rising and falling behind her. He slid an arm over her waist and her stomach to pull her against him. She expected to feel trapped or hemmed in but instead, Quinn felt strong and secure around her - she felt _loved_. 

‘This ok?’ he whispered, so close to her.

‘Yeah.’

‘Okay, good.’ His breath wafted over the shell of her ear and then she felt his lips press a hot kiss to the nape of her neck. ‘I guess if we get found out and your family kicks me out of the country, it’ll have been worth it.’

‘Don’t be an idiot,’ she whispered. ‘Good night, Quinn.’

‘Night, Georgie.’

xxx

At what must have been around 5am Georgie was vaguely aware of the body wrapped around her slowly extracting itself and the sudden loss of heat against her skin, and when she woke properly around an hour later Quinn was gone. He’d left her a note on the counter, scrawled on the back of a Maggie’s receipt. 

_‘Thank you for last night. See you at Fairfield later. - Quinn_

_P.S. Can you bring energy drinks or something? Have a feeling I’m not gonna last this whole shift!’_

Georgie smiled and flicked the coffee machine on and started getting ready for the day. 

When she went down the stairs to the barn she found Amy setting up the morning feed for the horses. 

‘Morning,’ she greeted cheerfully.

Amy set down the bucket and smiled. ‘Well, you’re awfully chipper. You and Quinn have a good time after dinner last night?’

‘Yeah, we watched a couple of movies together. It was nice.’ She could feel herself blushing, but figured that could be excused. She had fair skin and always blushed when it came to boys.

Amy raised a quizzical eyebrow. ‘Georgie, it’s none of my business and I’m not gonna tell Lou, but I came out just after midnight to check on Spartan’s leg and I noticed Quinn’s car was still here. I’m guessing he stayed the night — I really don’t need to know the rest — but, just be careful ok?’

Georgie’s blush had now escalated to a full beet-red flush instead. ‘I am being careful.’

Amy smiled. ‘Not just with your heart, you understand? If you need to talk to me about that kind of stuff, I’m here. And you should talk to Lou because I don’t like keeping secrets from her, really, but I will do for now. You’re an adult, I get it. Ty and I—‘

‘Amy, I _really_ don’t want to talk about you and Ty!’

‘Wow, ok, now I feel old! But alright. Just talk to me and talk to Lou — even if it’s just to say you’ve talked to me, okay?’

‘You’re trying way too hard to be the cool Aunt right now, Amy.’

‘Hey! I thought I _was_ the cool Aunt!’

‘Whatever, I gotta get to Fairfield and muck out some stalls!’

Georgie practically sprinted out of the barn and towards her truck. She could feel Amy still standing behind her, frowning. _Why_ hadn't she remembered Spartan’s injury? 

She did trust Amy to keep the secret for now but she definitely would have to talk to Lou eventually and she and Quinn hadn’t even done anything apart from share a bed! 

She jammed the keys in her ignition and frowned. She would have to tell Quinn they were found out too. She loved Heartland but sometimes she _really_ wished she lived anywhere else. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Georgie deals with the consequences of Quinn staying over.

Georgie squinted at the screen in front of her. She’d finished her chores for Lisa a few hours ago and was now attempting to check the stock ordering for the stables, but the tiny squares of the excel spreadsheet were making her eyes hurt. She was just about to give up and try another task when there was a knock on the door and Quinn stepped through into the office. He was in the same red Fairfield fleece as her with the same butterscotch riding jodhpurs, but when she blinked she saw him standing there in his boxers from last night. To say it was distracting would be an understatement. She snapped the lid of the laptop closed in defeat. 

‘Hey,’ she said, pushing back on the desk chair. ‘You finish coaching?’

‘I’m taking a break. There’s a gap in my schedule. I come bearing gifts.’ He set a large mug of steaming coffee down in front of her. ‘How’s the admin going?’

‘I can’t concentrate,’ she groaned, ‘It’s super confusing…’

‘And you didn’t get a full eight hours last night, huh? Join the club,’ Quinn finished, smirking. 

Georgie glared at him playfully, before rummaging in her rucksack below the desk, fishing out a couple of cans.

‘Here, I got your energy drinks in the store when I drove through Hudson. I don’t know how you can drink them, but knock yourself out.’

‘Amazing! Thank you! I didn’t know if you’d seen my note,’ he said, reaching for one and popping the tab, taking an exaggerated sip. ‘Ah, pure unfiltered caffeine. How I needed you today.’

Georgie grimaced, picking up her mug instead. ‘I’ll stick to coffee, thanks.’

‘And, err, Quinn,’ she added, clutching the warm mug to her chest in some odd attempt at comfort, ‘you should probably know that Amy cornered me this morning.’

Quinn paused from where he was enthusiastically draining the first can of its contents. ‘Amy cornered you? Did she see me?’

‘Yeah, she came out to check Spartan’s leg. I don’t know why we didn’t think about it.’

‘I guess we were kinda… distracted.’

Georgie swallowed. ‘Yeah, I guess we were.’

Quinn sagged into the couch against the wall. ‘Am I totally toast?’

Despite herself, Georgie laughed. ‘No, I don’t think so. Amy’s cool and she gets it. I bet she and Ty did a lot of sneaking around when she was younger. Actually, she tried to tell me about them. It was kind of gross.’

Quinn laughed. ‘Amy’s not that much older than you, Georgie. It’s not that weird. So she’s not gonna tell?’

‘I don’t think so. I think she just wants me to have like…. the talk with my mom, or something.’

‘Ahhh, the _talk,’ _Quinn intoned, struggling not to smile. ‘I see.’

Georgie frowned at his lack of seriousness. ‘It’s gonna be totally awkward! I bet you never had to go through it.’

‘Sure I did. My Mom wanted me to be respectful to the girls I was dating, wanted me to be safe. When I turned 18 she left me pack of condoms in my bathroom cabinet.’

‘She did? She sounds… cool.’

‘She’d be pleased to hear you say that,’ Quinn laughed. ‘It’s not that bad. And what’s a little awkwardness in the long run? At least your family cares and wants to keep you safe, Georgie.’

‘Safe from you?’

‘Yes, safe from me.’

Quinn stood up from the couch and came to pull her off her desk chair until she stood facing him, eyebrow raised. ‘What?’

‘Just… proving something.’

Quinn’s hands found her hips and backed her gently against the desk - but he didn’t let up, forcing her to boost herself up onto the surface. She frowned up at him before Quinn nudged her legs apart so he was standing between them, flush up against her. He smiled down at her crookedly. ‘Feel safe?’

Georgie swallowed. ‘Yes…. and no.’ Her response only made him laugh before he swooped down to kiss her. It was a hungry kiss and his mouth tasted sweet from the caffeine drink, especially when she touched her tongue to his. Quinn’s hands crept into her hair and spanned across her back. She put a palm against the desk to keep her balance, but Quinn’s kisses were so consuming she felt herself slipping backward anyway - until she realized she was almost lying against the scattered paperwork and broke away, gasping.

‘Ok, ok I think you’ve made your point,’ she conceded.

‘Thank you. Because I’d really like to continue doing that and not feeling like I was putting my life at risk. Even if that is an exaggeration.’

Quinn stepped away, straightening his fleece from where she’d rucked it off his shoulders. She also didn’t miss the subtle adjustment of his trousers either. She flushed and looked away, out the window. 

‘You alright?’ he asked, sounding concerned. 

She turned to face him again and smiled. It was still sort of weird to think she could have that effect on someone. ‘Yeah of course. I’ll try and catch you later, but I might be holed up in the office all day, just to warn you,’ she said.

‘That’s okay, I totally get it.’

‘I’ll see you at dinner tonight, though?’

Quinn sighed. ‘Much as I don’t relish cooking for myself in the apartment, maybe I should leave dinner tonight? So you can talk to Lou?’

‘Oh. Tonight… Sure. Good idea.’

Quinn reached for her hands again, clasping them lightly, his thumb sweeping across the back of her hand. ‘C’mon, it won’t be that bad. And you can call me later and moan about it.’

Georgie nodded stiffly. ‘Alright. Good luck with your students.’

He smiled and dropped her hands reluctantly. ‘Good luck with the admin, pencil pusher.’

She shoved him in the shoulder slightly, smiling. Quinn grabbed the other caffeine drink and waved it at her. ‘Thanks again for this. I’ll talk to you later, alright?’

‘Alright, bye.’

The office door closed with a snap and Georgie sank back into the desk chair, resting her head in her hands. She could get through this. She could!

xx

Georgie folded the dishcloth and set it back in front of the range to dry and turned towards her mom, who was packing the leftovers into the fridge. ‘Uh, Mom, can I talk to you?’

Lou closed the fridge door slowly. ‘Sure, honey, what’s up? Are you feeling nervous about the show at the weekend?’

‘No, I don’t think so. I mean a little bit, but that’s not what I want to talk to you about. It’s, uhm,’ she took a breath, ‘it’s sort of about Quinn.’

‘Quinn? He wasn’t at dinner tonight. Did you guys fight?’

‘No, no. I just — we thought that…Quinn and I…’ Lou raised her eyebrows at Georgie’s stuttering phrasing. 

‘You and Quinn, collectively, thought what?’

‘Can we sit outside on the deck for a bit?’

‘Uh, sure. I’ll follow you out.’

Georgie settled herself on the bench, looking out at Heartland in the summer evening sun. It was so peaceful. Unfortunately, it was not likely to stay that way. 

Lou sat down next to her. ‘So what’s up, sweetheart?’ 

She hauled in a deep breath for courage and thought of Quinn earlier teasing her. What was a little awkwardness? It would be fine.

‘Quinn and I are doing really good, mom.’ 

‘Well, that’s good to hear. You seem much better now he’s back from Florida again. I’m happy for you, Georgie. I admit I was a little skeptical at first, but you’d told me nothing about him! But he seems like a nice boy and you have a lot in common.’

‘Yeah, yeah, we do. I, uh, really like him, Mom. He’s… special to me.’

Lou’s face softened and she reached out to rub Georgie’s knee. ‘That’s wonderful.’

‘And I guess I should tell you before Amy does that he stayed over last night in the loft.’

Lou blinked, the soft smile sliding off her face. ‘He did? And Amy… let him? Georgie! You know that’s not allowed! How does Amy know?’

‘Mom!’ Georgie groaned, ‘I knew you’d react like this! Amy saw his car when she went to check on Spartan. I swear all he did was stay the night - it was late. But Amy said I should talk to you about it, and I promised Quinn I would too, so that’s what I’m doing.’ Georgie didn’t miss Lou flinching at Quinn’s name. She barrelled onwards.

‘I’m an adult. I’ve graduated high school and I’m going to college in the fall. I’m not a kid anymore and I’m not stupid either. I know you think you should probably decide when we talk about this, but I want to do it now. So, whatever. Lay it on me. The _talk_.’

Lou just blinked at her some more, floundering for words, and Georgie lost her patience. ‘Sex, Mom! I want to talk about sex!’

For a second there was silence and Georgie thought with horror that everyone inside might have been able to hear her, but then Lou started shaking. Silently at first, and then she was laughing and dabbing at her eyes, trying to get herself back under control. Georgie just stared at her.

‘You know what? This is so like you. I should have predicted this is how this would go. Everything always happens on your own terms, Georgie.’ When she glared, Lou held up a hand, still chuckling. ‘No, no, I’m not saying that’s a bad thing! To tell you the truth, I’ve been putting this off long enough. But you’re my baby and it feels like only yesterday we adopted you! You’ll have to take it easy on me, okay?’

‘Mom, what…?’

Lou laughed again and then straightened herself. ‘Okay. Sex. You and Quinn want to have sex. As uncomfortable as that makes me, I owe you as my daughter some advice, I guess.’

Georgie fixed her gaze firmly in her lap. ‘I guess.’

‘So, uhm. Well, I know you’ve had sex-ed lessons at school so you don’t need me to talk to you about most of this stuff. I can make a doctor's appointment so we can talk about contraception and maybe the pill or an implant, and I’ll uh, I can give you some, uh, condoms, in case… Quinn… doesn’t have any…’

‘Mom.’

Lou actually flushed. ‘Sorry! It’s just… weird for me too. I feel so old right now!’ She paused. ‘Look, honey. Sex should be fun. I don’t want you to feel like you have to just because he’s older, alright? It’s gonna feel a bit weird and uncomfortable the first time around, okay, but whoever you’re with should always make sure you’re feeling comfortable and safe. I know you probably learned about consent too, but it’s important. You can stop at any time.’

Georgie smiled shyly. ‘Mom, I trust Quinn.’ 

‘That’s good. I’m glad. But I want you to know that he is not to stay over every night, and if you ever stay at his I want you to text me, okay? I don’t want this to interfere with your work at Fairfield or your jumping, or college when you get there, alright? I’ll be watching.’

Georgie frowned but nodded. 

‘And if you ever have any problems, you come straight to me, okay? Not just for… sex stuff. Let me know how you are, alright?’

‘Yeah, Mom, I will.’

‘Promise?’

‘I promise.’

‘Okay,’ Lou breathed. ‘Well, thank you for telling me, I guess. And now I know why Amy’s been avoiding me all day too.’

‘Yeah, sorry about that.’

‘It’s okay, honey. I should probably get Katie to bed. You gonna head to the loft?’

‘Yeah probably.’

‘Alright, I’ll tell everyone you said night.’

Lou reached up to stroke her hair and Georgie smiled before Lou got up and headed to the door. ‘I love you,’ she said, hand on the doorknob.

‘Love you too, Mom.’

There. She guessed that wasn’t too bad.

xxx

Georgie flopped onto her bed and pulled up FaceTime on her phone. Quinn answered nearly on the first ring, and Georgie could see him sitting on the pull out bed/couch in his apartment, which he obviously hadn’t bothered to convert back to the latter. 

‘So, how’d it go?’ he asked immediately, his voice teasing.

‘Weird. Lou started laughing. I may have basically shouted about my desire to have sex.’

When Quinn started laughing too Georgie threatened to hang up on him until he sobered himself and attempted a straight face. ‘Sorry, sorry. Would it be weird to say I’m proud of you? I know your family can be a bit intense.’

‘You’re telling me…’

‘Still, over and done with now. She was cool with it?’

‘I wouldn’t say cool, but I guess you won’t have to sneak out under the cover of darkness anymore. But I wouldn’t push it. My family are still pretty traditional.’

Quinn gave her a serious look. ‘Georgie, just because you talked to your mom, doesn’t mean I expect to like, have sex straight away. It’s more to clear the air after this morning. I want you to be ready.’

Georgie wrinkled her nose. ‘Be ready… that’s such a cliche.’

‘Well, sometimes they’re cliches because they’re true.’

‘_Well,_ it makes me feel like a kid.’

Quinn raised an eyebrow. ‘Trust me, Georgie, I know you’re not a kid.’

Georgie thought of the way he’d reacted after the kiss in the office in Fairfield and bit her lip.

‘I wish you could come over.’

‘Me too, but how would it look if I pulled up to Heartland immediately after that conversation? I don’t think so.’

‘I know, I know.’ 

They chatted for a while about Quinn’s clients and Georgie’s upcoming show. She avoided any further discussion of Quinn’s Dad, figuring that Quinn would tell her if he had any news or wanted to talk about it. Still, an hour later, Quinn glanced at the clock on the right of his screen and winced. 

‘It’s getting late and I should probably try and catch up on sleep, Georgie. I need to take a shower before bed, too.’

‘Ew, you haven’t washed? You’re such a boy.’

Quinn grinned at her. ‘See you tomorrow?’

‘Hang on,’ Georgie found herself saying. ‘This is gonna sound weird, but can I— can I watch you? Like, take off your clothes, before you shower?’

Quinn’s smile died a little, and for a second Georgie was afraid she’s said something really truly weird or stupidly childish, but then he smiled again, the dimples popping out. ‘Like what you saw last night, then?’

She knew he was teasing but she just nodded. ‘Uh, yeah. And I figured if I’m not gonna get the real thing… Anyway, this is what teens do, isn’t it? Like, over the phone?’

Quinn let out a short bark of laughter. ‘I think they do more than watching someone undress over the phone, to tell you the truth.’

‘Well, maybe we can work up to that?’

Quinn’s laughter turned into a choking sound. ‘Alright, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.’ Seeing Georgie’s pout, he propped his phone up on the coffee table and stood up.

‘Okay, how’s that? Can you see me?’ Quinn’s frame filled her screen, his broad shoulders and long legs easy to make out. 

‘Yeah,’ Georgie replied, her voice a little tight sounding. ‘Great.’

Quinn shuffled on his feet self-consciously. ‘See this feels weird now. I guess you can pick what I take off first? If we’re doing this?’

‘Uhm. Your shoes and socks. If you’re wearing them.’

‘Ah, yes. Sexy.’ 

She saw him reach down and pull off his boots and socks. 

‘Okay, your flannel.’ She was pretty sure it was one of Ty’s old shirts. He hadn’t bought much over from Florida and was waiting on his Dad to ship him more things. The fact that he was already so caught up in her family made her feel warm and a little weird at the same time.

Quinn dutifully pulled the flannel off. This time he didn’t fold it, flinging it on to the bed instead. He had on a white t-shirt underneath and once again, Georgie frowned over his good looks. It was all very James Dean. She shifted restlessly on top of her covers. 

‘And that shirt too.’

‘Yes, ma’am.’

Instead of pulling at the hem he did the thing that only boys seemed to do and reached behind for his shirt and pulled it over his head by the neck, which gave her a nice view of his flexing forearms. The white t-shirt was scrunched into a ball and joined its predecessor on the bed. Georgie stared at his chest again, noting the silver chain around his neck and the light dusting of blonde hair leading down to his naval. She swallowed.

‘Okay, jeans too.’

There was a clink as Quinn reached for his belt, there was the whirr of leather against the fabric as he pulled it out of the belt loops, and then he was scrambling with the zip fly this time (different pair of jeans Georgie noted) and flinging them off. His boxers today were black and though it was only through a screen, Georgie didn’t miss the quick heavy rising and falling of his chest or the shape of him beneath his boxers.

‘Are you satisfied?’ he teased, but there was a roughness to his voice that betrayed him as not unaffected either. 

‘Uhm, yeah. Thank you?’

He chuckled. ‘Happy to oblige. But if you’ve looked your fill, I really need that shower now, so…’

‘Oh, sure. I’ll let you go. Night, Quinn.’

And bless, standing there in his boxers in the middle of his apartment, Quinn blew her a kiss. ‘Night Georgie.’ Then he smirked. ‘Sweet dreams.’

Georgie rolled her eyes and hung up on him, flopping onto her back to stare at the ceiling afterward and think about what she’d just asked Quinn to do. Could one consider that a striptease? She'd certainly never done anything like that with Wyatt. 

She was pretty sure they both knew what she’d be dreaming about tonight. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Georgie notices Quinn's acting a little odd.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note that I've ad-libbed Quinn's background here. I can't remember if we're given any information other than the fact he's 21!

Georgie leaned up against the doorjamb of the tack room and watched as Quinn hung up his gear. She went to announce herself, but something about his sharp frown and complete absence of dimples made her pause and she reached up to knock on the barn door instead.

‘Hey,’ she greeted softly when Quinn turned around. ‘You have some time to grab a bite?’

‘Oh, Georgie, hey - no, I’m sorry. I’ve got another kid in a few minutes and I’ve got to get the jumps re-set. Raincheck?’

She hoped the sinking disappointment didn’t show too much on her face and shrugged. ‘Yeah, sure, of course. Lisa’s got you running ragged this week, huh?’

‘Sorta, yeah. I’m not complaining, though. I wouldn’t be here without her.’

‘No, of course. You’d never complain, you’ve got _way_ too much pep for that. It’s actually sort of annoying.’ Georgie tried at a joke but Quinn just smiled weakly at her and finished coiling the length of rope in his hands. 

‘I’m sorry, I wish I could.’

‘Are you gonna come over for dinner?’

‘Uhm, maybe. Can I text you?’

Georgie frowned. She’d hardly seen Quinn the last few days but she’d been busy with Lisa’s ‘management tips’ and had hardly any time with Phoenix let alone Quinn, even after their eventful FaceTime the other day. There’d been no more office kisses either, and he hadn’t stayed over since the first time, which she was trying not to be disappointed about.

‘Sure. Quinn, is everything alright?’

‘Everything’s fine.’ He turned and gave her a blinding smile, big and suspiciously fake-looking. ‘Sorry Georgie, I’ve really got to lay out these jumps. But I’ll text you, okay?’

‘Okay,’ she agreed as Quinn made to leave the barn. He paused by the door just enough to press her a swift kiss and then strode away towards the training ring. 

There was definitely something going on. 

xxx

Quinn confirmed dinner barely half an hour beforehand and came knocking just as Lou was setting down the pasta dish in the center of the table. Georgie leaped up from her seat to let him in, taking his jacket from him at the door. 

‘Sorry I’m so last minute,’ he muttered, reaching to straighten his button-down and looking harried. 

‘That’s okay. Lou always makes a tonne of food. You know that.’

He was already moving past her into the kitchen but Georgie caught him by the sleeve and yanked him back. ‘Hey, slow down, cowboy,’ she joked. ‘What’s gotten into you? Lisa’s not about to grill you about work over dinner.’

‘I know, I know.’ 

Georgie saw exactly when he let go of the tension, his shoulders sagging slightly. She checked no-one was in the kitchen before rising up to her tiptoes to kiss him quickly, trying to ease any more mystery stress he was holding on to. His palm curled around her hip automatically and it was so good just to kiss him again — until a discreet cough yanked them apart and Georgie looked over Quinn’s shoulder to see Amy getting herself a glass of water and looking way too pre-occupied doing it to be subtle. 

‘Okay, dinner time,’ she muttered. 

Quinn followed her to the table and was uncharacteristically quiet throughout the meal, letting Tim hammer on about American vs Canadian beef without interruptions, even. Georgie reached for his fingers under the table to give them what she hoped was a reassuring squeeze and smiled when he shot her a surprised look. But he squeezed back and eventually they just ended up holding hands under the table, which struck Georgie as incredibly innocent, but she couldn’t help feeling they were doing something she didn’t want found-out either. 

She excused them both after dessert. ‘Quinn and I are gonna go back to the loft for a bit. Thanks for dinner everyone - Mom.’

‘Okay, honey.’ 

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tim set down his napkin and give Quinn a warning look. To his credit, Quinn didn’t blink. 

‘Night guys,’ he said instead. ‘See you in the morn- I mean, see you tomorrow.’

Georgie froze. Lou was shaking her head subtly and Tim’s eyes had narrowed even further. Amy looked like she was trying not to laugh. Georgie bundled Quinn out of the door as quickly as possible and couldn’t help giggling once they were outside and away from the house. 

‘Oh, we’re so gonna pay for that one!’

Quinn was smiling too. ‘I’m sorry, I opened my mouth without thinking.’

‘Well, that much was obvious.’

She was still laughing as she climbed the stairs to the loft. She fell into the couch and smiled when Quinn toed off his shoes and sat down next to her, stretching his long legs out to rest on the coffee table.

‘I guess I’ll allow that,’ she said, gesturing to his feet.

‘Oh, well thank you,’ he grinned back. ‘You think Tim’s gonna come charging in here for an explanation?’

‘No, I think Amy and Lou will contain it, don’t worry. Are you gonna stay, though? You weren’t just being stupid?’

‘If you’ll have me?’

‘I’l have you.’ She blushed at the double meaning and changed the subject. ‘If, that is, you tell me what’s been on your mind recently?’

‘Huh? Nothing’s on my mind.’

‘I’m not an idiot Quinn. I haven’t seen you around the last few days. I thought I was just busy with Lisa but maybe you were avoiding me too. You’re giving off weird vibes.’

Quinn smiled teasingly. ‘Weird vibes?’

She elbowed him sharply. ‘You know what I mean!’

He pretended to recoil from her and then sighed. ‘It’s my Dad. He’s getting on at me to come back again. Says I’ve had enough of a holiday now. I told him that I’m working and applying for a visa, that it’s permanent but he’s not too impressed. I hate fighting with him, but there’s only so much I can avoid his calls before I risk really pissing him off. I’ve already refused to come home more than twice. He doesn’t understand. He thinks I’m just goofing around or something, just playing at stuff up here with you. He doesn’t think it’s serious.’

Georgie frowned and noticed that Quinn was avoiding looking at her, staring out the barn window instead. 

‘You’ve told him no before,’ she said. Quinn hummed in acknowledgment but didn’t say any more. 

‘Quinn,’ she tried, ‘talk to me. Is he going to make you come back again? Are you gonna leave?’

He heaved a sigh again and then turned. There was an iciness in his blue eyes Georgie hadn’t seen before and she felt pinned down by them.

‘That depends. Would you let me? Leave again, that is? My Dad doesn’t think I’m serious about staying here, but I _am_. But it’s only because I’m serious about you, Georgie. That’s the point - I’m not playing. And I really hope you’re not either. I guess what’s been bothering me these last few days is, are you serious about me? I guess I’ve sort of… staked a lot on this.’ He gestured between them where they sat on the couch and then dragged a hand anxiously through the short length of his hair. ‘I know we have a good time hanging out and… other stuff. But I want to be more than a convenient guy to test out your hormones on, Georgie.’

‘Test out my hormones on?’ Georgie repeated incredulously, her voice sharp. ‘Wow. What a lot of credit you give me. If you think like that why are you bothering to hang around in the first place?’

Quinn winced and brought up his hand to rub at his face. ‘That didn’t come out right, I’m sorry. It’s just, we’re just having fun at the moment and there was our beginning when you didn’t want to define things, and…’

Georgie clamped down on her anger which she knew was just masking the real problem. She was about to apologize when Quinn beat her to it.

‘I’m sorry, Georgie, I don’t mean to be so intense. If I was any other guy in town it would be different but I just — I want to be sure.’

“For the record, Quinn, I thought we doing more than just ‘having fun.’ And as you pointed out there a tonne of more ‘convenient’ guys in town. I talked to Lou for you. I’ve never let someone stay over before. Those are big things for me and I’m as serious as I can get right now. Is that enough? I don’t want you to go back to Florida. Do you want me to talk to your Dad or something?’

Quinn blinked, visibly calming down. ‘Okay, I’m sorry. I just got myself worked up, I guess.’

‘It would have helped to talk to me first before freaking out. That’s what couples do, remember, talk to each other.’

‘Couples?’ Quinn’s face broke out into a smile. ‘Georgina Fleming-Morris, did you just imply that I’m your boyfriend?’

Georgie frowned, confused by his delighted smile. ‘Well, I thought that was obvious.’

‘No, you’ve never said it before.’

‘I haven’t?’

‘Nope. Trust me, I would have remembered.’

‘Oh. Well, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize. But I meant what I said - do you think me talking to your Dad would help?’

Quinn shrugged. ‘I don’t know, but we could try. Tell him my _girlfriend_ wants a word.’

‘You’re an idiot.’

‘Oh, I know.’

She leaned over to kiss him, softly at first and then they were both sucked into it and Georgie was pushing Quinn back against the couch cushions and sliding a hand underneath his shirt, between the buttons, to feel the warmth of his skin. Quinn’s hands were roaming underneath her shirt at her waist too. She detached herself for long enough to reach up and yank it off, leaving her in an old sports bra she didn’t have time to feel self-conscious about before Quinn rolled them over so he could work his way down, kissing her exposed collarbones and the skin just above her breasts. By now she was panting and when Quinn paused to swiftly unbutton his shirt, she noticed he was too. He flung it away from them and went straight back to her chest, tracing the skin near the edge of her bra with his tongue and making her squirm.

‘Quinn,’ she gasped. ‘I…’

He paused and looked up through his ridiculously thick eyelashes. ‘You okay?’

‘Let me sit up. This bra doesn’t have any fastenings.’

His eyes widened and he backed off enough to give her enough space to struggle out of it. It joined the other items on the floor somewhere, and then she felt the exquisite pressure of Quinn’s naked skin against her own as he kissed her again. He broke away only when Georgie began to whimper, instead kissing downwards until he blew softly across her nipple. 

‘Oh my god, what are you doing?’ 

‘Hopefully, making you feel good.’

Georgie felt the touch of his tongue, and then he closed his lips around her and set her squirming, thrashing, beneath him. Intermittently he’d stop to blow cool air across the tip, or switch to her other breast, driving Georgie crazy. Eventually, she pushed his head away. 

‘Stop, stop, Quinn. I’m going to - explode, or something.’

‘That’s kind of the idea,’ he quipped lightly, but as soon as her words properly registered he moved off her, transferring his weight to give her space. ‘Sorry, sorry. Too much, too soon?’

Georgie tried to get her breathing back under control and smiled weakly but now they’d paused a slight feeling of panic was creeping up on her. It was frustrating but she couldn’t ignore it. ’Maybe…’ she admitted. 

‘Hey, that’s okay.’ 

Quinn propped himself up on a bent elbow and Georgie reached for the t-shirt she’d abandoned, pulling it over her head quickly with a self-consciousness she hadn’t felt a few moments earlier. If Quinn noticed, he didn’t say anything. Georgie watched as he pushed himself off the couch and over to the kitchen area. 

‘I think I saw you had some herbal tea. Do you want a cup?’

Georgie blinked, faintly surprised at this complete change in direction. ’Uh, yeah, that would be nice.’

Quinn busied himself with the kettle on the hob and the tea bags, and a few moments later he walked back over with a steaming mug of mint tea, with the teabag tied neatly to the handle. The attention to detail was so very Quinn. He passed it to her with a smile and then took his place next to her, reaching to pull her legs over his lap, smoothing a palm over her calves. Georgie looked at him carefully over the rim of her mug.

‘This doesn’t mean you have to baby me, you know.’

‘I’m not babying you.’

She lifted the tea a little in a demonstration. ‘Not that I don’t, like, appreciate it, but…’

Quinn just shrugged it off. ‘It’s just tea, Georgie. Relax.’

She decided to let it slide and carefully blew on the hot liquid before taking a small sip. Quinn had his own cup, but he held it in a curled hand on his lap whilst he concentrated on a point in the middle distance. He was still shirtless from earlier. Georgie frowned.

‘I’m sorry if I annoyed you... By not…by stopping...’

Quinn’s attention snapped back to her. ‘No, no Georgie. God, I’m not annoyed I promise. Nothing’s fun if you’re not comfortable. I don’t want to push you and I don’t want you to push yourself if you don’t want to. I’m glad you stopped me.’

She nodded slowly. ‘Right.’

Quinn sighed. ‘Sorry, I guess I’m still distracted.’

‘You know, in Europe, you never told me about your family much. What was it like, growing up?’

Quinn raised an eyebrow. ‘What, with an Olympian as a father? I’m pretty sure I’ve covered that bit.’

‘No, I mean, like when you were a kid. I don’t even know what your Mom does.’ 

At the mention of his Mom, Quinn smiled softly. ‘She’s a teacher, actually. Not so much anymore - she helps out with managing the stables. But yeah, she taught juniors for years, back in Florida.’

‘That explains a lot.’

Quinn cut her a look. ‘How’d you figure?’

‘Well, you’re so patient and your Dad obviously really isn’t…. you must get it from somewhere. And you’re really good with the kids up at Fairfield.’

He shrugged. ‘They’re easy to love. There a couple of pushy parents, but mostly the kids themselves just love horses. That’s easy to connect with.’

‘You know, maybe Amy should ask you to come work at Heartland.’

‘I think I’m trespassing on your family enough as it is.’

Georgie paused with her mug to her lips. ‘Quinn, you’re not trespassing on my family. They like you. And they know I like you, so that’s enough. _No one_ is trespassing,’ she emphasized. 

When he didn’t reply, Georgie set down her mug. ‘Seriously. Look you’ll sort stuff about staying and you’ll sort things with your Dad and things will be fine, okay? Quinn?’

‘You know when I was growing up, like a little kid, I hated horses? My Dad spent so much time training up at the stables, building the business or traveling to shows and I never saw him. I knew vaguely what his job was and he took me up to the stables every now and again, but by then I’d already started resenting them for, I don’t know, taking my Dad away, if that makes sense?’

Georgie kept quiet, afraid that if she said something, he’d stop talking.

‘It took me until I was about 11 to admit that I loved riding and wanted to do it properly and then I started training and jumping and it was finally something I could talk to Dad about. He used to come out and support me, but when it became clear I wasn’t improving as quickly as he hoped, he stopped coming as regularly. I delayed college so I could keep going to shows. So I could do Europe.’

Georgie bit at her lip, thinking about her own plans to balance college and jumping. ‘Do you regret that?’

‘Well, I certainly don’t regret Europe.’ He smiled at her. ‘College, though. I don’t know. My Dad wants me to go, still. I figured I’d just take classes on the side at some point.’ He paused. ‘This is absolutely not me trying to tell you to ditch college, by the way. Just because I didn’t, doesn’t mean you can’t.’

‘No, I know that.’

‘Good.’ He sighed again. ‘I don’t know, Georgie. It’s just… complicated, I guess.’

‘What part of life isn’t?’

That made him grin. ‘Very true, wise owl. Please depart upon me some more of your fountain of knowledge.’ His voice was lightly teasing.  Her legs were still in his lap, so she kicked him lightly in the stomach. Thankfully, his mug was on the coffee table. 

‘I’m very wise, thank you.’

‘For a nearly-college freshman, maybe.’

This time, he caught her foot as she went to kick him again, easily circling his fingers around her ankle. His eyes were shining again - with glee. 

‘You’re gonna wanna put your tea down.’

‘What if I don’t?’ she said stubbornly, but the smile behind her voice made it less than effective.

‘I really think you should reconsider.’

Rolling her eyes, she set down the mug next to his and just as she could have predicted, Quinn’s hand around her ankle yanked her forward until she was a tangle of limbs on top of him, already giggling.

‘Are you ticklish?’

‘No,’ she lied, but she was grinning and Quinn shook his head in disbelief. 

‘No? Guess we’ll find out.’

Georgie was already laughing and his attempts to tickle her were half-hearted at best. After a brief struggle, she managed to catch hold of one of his hands to stop him pretty easily. In the tussle, somehow, Quinn was now pinned underneath her, one hand on her waist, the other caught in her grip. Instead, she threaded their fingers together and leaned forward to kiss him, a long relaxed kiss that felt like they were melting together, just kissing for the pure pleasure of it. When they let each other go Quinn’s blue eyes were sparkling with a warmth that nearly stopped Georgie in her tracks.

‘How does an early night sound?’ she asked softly, once she’d recovered herself. 

‘Sounds pretty good to me.’

After they were both done getting ready and Quinn had stripped down to his boxers again - Georgie told him he should really start bringing a change of clothes - they lay in bed facing one another. This time Quinn didn’t tell her to roll over but he still looped a loose arm over her to pull her gently in. Georgie burrowed into him, curving into the space underneath his chin, and they both fell asleep to the sound of each other breathing. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Georgie and Quinn attempt to talk to his Dad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't seen the finale yet! I'm dying at the promo, though! I guess this fic is officially, like, alternate canon? Idk! Anyway, enjoy.

‘And you’re sure you want to do this?’

Georgie filed away the paperwork she’d finished working on and nodded firmly. Across the room Quinn was leaning up against the wall, arms folded across his chest, phone gripped tightly in his fist. ‘It’s really none of my father’s business, you know. You don’t have to do this.’

‘Quinn, I can’t just ignore every time he calls you.’

‘I know, but—’

‘But, nothing. I said it’s fine.’

‘I know, he’s just been really aggressive the last couple of times, and—’

‘Yeah, I know. I heard you take his call in the middle of practice the other day. Quinn, he’s _still_ stressing you out. We have to do _something_.’

‘I was joking before.’

‘Well, I wasn’t. C’mon. It’s one conversation. It’ll be fine.’

In a motion that was becoming increasingly familiar, Quinn bought up a hand to rub at the back of his neck. It meant he was agitated, worried - anxious. Despite Georgie’s best efforts she’d seen it a lot recently. But he bought his phone over and propped it sideways against a pen holder on the desk and sat down in an office chair next to her.‘Okay. Fine. But if he starts behaving like a dick, I’m hanging up.’

‘Alright.’ Quinn bought up FaceTime and hit his Dad’s name. The dialing tone sounded very loud to Georgie in the quiet office and she was suddenly nervous but before she could be properly gripped by it there was a beep and a man’s face filled the screen. 

He looked remarkably like Quinn - if he was thirty years older. He had the same sharp jaw and eyes the same indigo blue but his hair was salt and pepper grey and his forehead was crinkled with a frown that Georgie guessed was semi-permanent.

‘Quinn? Son?’

Quinn’s Dad was sat in what looked like a private study - there was a full bookshelf behind him and a display case, full of gleaming trophies and medals. 

‘Hi, Dad. This is Georgie.’

Georgie felt like she should be reaching forward to shake his hand but without that as an option she settled on waving awkwardly at the screen. ‘Hi, Mr. McGregor. It’s good to finally meet you.’

His frown only deepened in response. 

‘Oh, Miss Fleming-Morris. Likewise. I was beginning to think that you were just a figment of my son’s imagination.’

She felt Quinn bristle beside her and slid a hand over his knee under the desk in an effort to calm him.

‘No,’ she laughed awkwardly. ‘Here I am. ‘

‘Hmm, well it’s nice to finally put a face to the name, Miss Fleming Morris. Quite a pretty face too.’ He cut Quinn a small smile, something more like a leer, and Georgie swore she heard Quinn growl under his breath, but Mr. McGregor switched subjects before he could react. ‘So, Quinn tells me you're a jumper? Apparently you’re good, too.’

Too thrown off to do anything else, Georgie answered. ‘Uh yes, sir. I jump with my horse Phoenix.’

‘And Lisa Stillman at Fairfield, she’s your family? She hired Quinn?’

‘Uh, yes, Sir. He’s doing excellent work and my family are all so happy to have him with us, and—’

Mr. McGregor nodded and cut her off. ‘I know Lisa. I like her. She runs a very good business over at Fairfield, but you realize my son has his own job at my own stables back here, with his own horse?’

At this point, he turned to Quinn. ‘Remember your horse Neptune, Quinn? Don’t you miss him?’

She glanced at Quinn and saw him wince and his mouth tip downwards. ‘He’s being looked after Dad. I speak to Eric all the time - do you not trust your own Stable manager to look after the horses?’

‘That’s not the same thing and you know it.’

Quinn let out a gusty sigh. ‘Dad, stop trying to guilt-trip me. I won’t let it work.’

‘I am simply raising the issue of your horse’s welfare, son.’

‘Well, don’t!’ Quinn snapped. ‘I’ve got it managed.’

Georgie thought it was perhaps time to try again.

‘Sir, Quinn is working with Lisa, but if you’re concerned with his jumping practice, we’re both still committed and entering shows’

‘I’m not concerned with Quinn’s jumping.’

Quinn rolled his eyes. ‘No, of course you’re not. You just want me back home and under your thumb, right?’

‘You can’t just go galavanting across the country, panting over some girl-‘

Georgie blinked. Panting? Wow.

‘She’s not just some girl! I love her, Dad! You don’t understand - Heartland, here, Georgie. It’s everything. Its family and actually giving a shit about what the people around you want. It’s everything I never had when I was home!’

There was a beat of silence and then Mr. McGregor’s eyes narrowed.

‘Your mother misses you.’

Georgie could feel Quinn deflate next to her. ‘I know. I know she does.’

‘She won’t say it, but she wants you home too.’

‘Dad, please. I’ve made up my mind.’

Once again, Mr McGregor’s hard, flinty eyes slid over to her.

‘Are you sure it’s your _mind_ you’ve made up, son?’

There was something like an explosion next to her. Quinn shot up straight. ‘Don’t you dare say things like that to me when Georgie is right there. I swear to God Dad I’ll stop answering your calls full stop. I don’t care. You can f-‘

Georgie laid a hand on his arm and the shock of the touch cut him off mid-sentence. He looked at her, eyes bright with anger, breathing hard. She gave him a calm, leveling look and then turned to face the screen again.

‘Mr. McGregor. I don’t know if you have a problem with me personally or if it’s just because I’m the person keeping Quinn in Canada. I hope it’s the second one. But If you think acting like this to someone Quinn tells you he cares about is the way to get him back you’re pretty delusional. Quinn loves me and I -‘ she stuttered, feeling her throat tighten and her eyes begin to well ‘and I love him too. So much. And if he wants to stay here with me I’m certainly not gonna tell him to go back to a father who clearly doesn’t appreciate him instead. If you want to keep your son in your life you need to give him some freedom. Because he’s a part of mine and I’m a part of his now whether you like it or not.’

And before he could reply, or do anything more than sit there looking stunned, Georgie leaned forward and hit the end call button.

The office fell silent. Georgie was momentarily stunned by how rude she’d been. Beside her, Quinn did not move. So Georgie started babbling. 

‘Oh my god I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have hung up like that, that was totally-‘

Abruptly, Quinn reached forward to grab her hands, twisting her around to look at her in the eye, and cut her off. ‘You’re incredible. That was incredible. I love you.’

To her horror, Georgie’s eyes were beginning to sting again. ‘I love you too. Sorry that I told your Dad first, though. That kind of sucked.’

Quinn’s lips twitched into a smile. ‘Admittedly not how I pictured the conversation going, but I’ll take it. Thank you for fighting my corner.’

‘Of course.’

‘I love you,’ he said again, moving closer until his forehead rested gently against hers. She breathed him in, the scent of his aftershave, the clean cotton of his shirt.

‘I love you too.’

He kissed her, soft and gentle, completely innocent in comparison to some of the kisses they’d already exchanged, but Georgie felt weighed down by the words they’d just exchanged, somehow. It felt heavier. It felt more important. She felt grounded in a way she hadn’t felt before, and knew, somehow, that whatever happened in the next few months, in college, that she’d have Quinn to fight in her corner too.

xxx

At the end of the day, Quinn drove her home. They hadn’t seen each other during the afternoon, and now they were together again after the events in the office, Georgie felt almost shy around him, for some reason. Quinn seemed alright with her quietness though, grinning at her over the console. He flicked the radio over to the country station, which made her smile because she knew he hated the genre and he’d teased her for being a ‘country bumpkin’ for her secret love of it before. She rolled her eyes but hummed along to a song she recognized, poppy and upbeat. The track changed to something schmaltzy and slow from years ago but she didn’t mind and rolled down the window of the car anyway to let the summer breeze tangle with the ends of her ponytail. Quinn gave her an amused look and then cranked down his own window before reaching to twist up the volume. 

To her utter surprise when the song hit the chorus again Quinn winked at her and began to sing along to the words - which he appeared to _know_.

_‘I wouldn't be a man if I didn't feel like this_

_I wouldn't be a man, if a woman like you was anything I could resist._

_I'd have to be from another planet where love doesn't exist’_

Georgie stared at him. They were traveling through Hudson now, past Maggie’s, but she barely noticed. Quinn’s voice was surprisingly good, although he was joking around, imitating the low gravelly tone of the vocalist. 

There was a key change or something and he paused for breath. They were cruising down the empty road to Heartland now and Quinn made sure the car was steady before grabbing her hand and gripping it tightly with playful exaggeration.

_‘I wouldn't be a man if I didn't feel like -_

_Roll with me baby, all night long._

_Soul to soul with me baby, all night long.’_

The last note opened out and Quinn held it, grinning, waggling his eyebrows, before finishing with a flourish and bringing the back of her hand up to kiss. Georgie was blushing, giggling. The song carried on in the background but she couldn’t help interrupting it with a peal of laughter. Quinn now looked vaguely embarrassed but there was still a hint of a smile around his mouth and he hadn’t dropped her hand. 

‘How do you even know that song?’ she wheezed. 

‘Hey, I said I wasn’t a country fan. My Mom absolutely is. She used to play it around the house all the time.’

‘Oh my God. Have you considered a career as a performer? I reckon you could do it, you know.’

Quinn laughed. ‘Ah, thanks, but I’ll hang on to the day job for a bit, I think.’

‘I’m serious, though, you _do_ have a good voice. How come I didn’t know?’

‘I normally reserve my concerts for the shower. I just made a special exception.’

‘Well, thank you. I’m looking forward to your next gig.’ She paused and decided to reward his silliness with some of her own, lowering her voice to a dramatically breathy whisper. ‘I don’t mind if it’s the shower still, though.’

That made Quinn throw back his head and laugh and once he’d recovered himself they were parked out front the Ranch. Georgie slid out and shut the car door, but once she turned around Quinn was there, smiling, reaching down to kiss her. For a couple of seconds they pressed against each other, both of them smiling into the kiss, Georgie’s back to the cool metal of the car - until the sound of the Ranch screen door slamming broke them apart. Beyond Quinn’s shoulder, Georgie could see Lou hurrying out of the house. She sighed. 

‘Georgie! Thank God you’re here!’

Quinn didn’t immediately turn around, stopping to sing-whisper _‘roll with me baby, all night long_’ into her ear so that she was struggling to fight a smile still when Lou stopped in front of them. Lou decided to ignore this.

‘Thank God. Lisa and Jack are away fishing and Amy, Ty and Lyndy have gone to visit Ty's mom together, which I totally forgot about. Mitch and I have a date tonight, and I’m _so_ busy and I’ve already canceled on him twice and-‘

Georgie forced herself to straighten her face, with much effort. She could practically feel Quinn struggling not to laugh beside her. ’Mom. You want me to babysit Katie?’

‘Yes! Yes, thank you! I’ll ring you, okay? I might not be back tonight because…’ Lou frowned and then shook herself before she could blush. ‘Well, anyway. Is that ok? I'm sorry to drop this on you.’

‘It’s fine Mom.’

She smiled at her daughter and then moved to smile hesitantly at Quinn. ‘You’re welcome to stay for dinner, of course, and, uh-‘

‘Mom, we’ll handle ourselves. Go!’

‘Alright, fine. Love you. Tell Katie I said bye!’

‘Will do. Have fun.’

Lou blew them a kiss before climbing into her own car and pulling out of the driveway. Georgie turned towards Quinn.

‘I’m sorry. You didn’t sign up for an evening of babysitting. I’m not sure we even have food for dinner.’

‘Hey, that’s okay.’ He shoved his hands in his pockets. ‘If you want me to go, that’s fine.’

‘No, no. Stay. Katie’s too old to be babysat anyway. She’ll probably just go to her room. I could use some company.’

‘Well, alright then.’

When they got inside Katie was sat at the kitchen table, tapping away at an iPad. She looked up briefly when they came through the door.

‘Oh hey, guys. Has Mom gone?’

‘Yeah, she just took off. So I guess you’re stuck with me tonight.’

‘And Quinn,’ Katie replied pointedly, before going back to her screen. Georgie could see her smiling to herself. 

‘Hey, Katie. How’re you doing?’ he greeted, raising a hand to wave hello.

She shrugged. ‘I don’t think Mom left anything to eat.’

‘Yeah, I figured. It’s okay, we’ll find something. There might be something in the freezer…’ Georgie moved over to the fridge and Quinn followed her, frowning over her shoulder.

‘Well, there’s plenty of stuff in there. Do you want me to cook?’

Georgie glanced up at him in surprise. ‘You wanna cook? Are you sure?’

‘Yeah. I don’t mind. Might not be anything fancy, though.’

‘Well, if you don’t mind…’

‘Awesome.’

Georgie stepped out of the way so Quinn could reach the ingredients he wanted. She stood there for a second after showing him where the chopping boards and other stuff were kept, but then realizing she was basically not needed, backed away towards the door. 

‘I’m gonna finish up in the stable, check on the horses, alright?’

Katie barely grunted in acknowledgment. Quinn gave her a little salute, which was ruined by the teatowel in his grip, and smiling she headed back out the door.

xxx

Around 40 minutes later she came back to a kitchen that looked like it’d been affected by a small hand grenade going off. There were dirty dishes everywhere, empty packets of pasta on the side, and everything was covered in a thin layer of flour, including Katie and Quinn, who were busy pouring something out of a saucepan into a baking dish, and didn’t notice her coming back in. She watched as Quinn squatted down to open the oven door and helped Katie guide the heavy dish onto the shelf. He let her close the door, checked the timer and then gave her a high-five, sending a puff of flour into the air. 

‘Have you used every dish we have?’

Quinn turned around, looking sheepish. He had a tea towel slung jauntily over his shoulder, like some kind of professional chef - an effect ruined by the smudge of flour on his cheek and general look of dishevelment. Katie giggled. 

‘We made Mac and Cheese!’

‘Oh, really? Because it looks like you made a mess.’

On reflex, Quinn attempted to wipe his hands on his jumper, which just succeeded in smearing a mark into it, and Georgie laughed. 

‘I’ll tidy up. Get out of here before you make things worse. Both of you.’

‘C’mon. We need to wash our hands,’ Quinn said to Katie, who happily skipped towards the bathroom. Quinn paused in front of Georgie, holding out his still powder-covered hand.

‘Don’t you dare,’ she warned him, in response to the look of faux-innocence plastered all over his face.

‘What?’

‘You know what.’

‘I really don’t.’

He grinned again, dimples deepening, and in a way that was becoming increasingly familiar, Georgie felt the pull somewhere deep inside her and met his kiss halfway. She looped a hand around his neck without realizing and leaned into the way Quinn moved to cradle her cheek. When she extracted herself Quinn was smirking at her.

‘You’ve got a little something - on your face…’

Georgie grabbed the tea towel off his shoulder and snapped it at him, laughing despite herself. ‘You’re a menace. Go wash up!’

‘Yes, Ma’am.’

She watched him head off to the bathroom and then turned to survey the damage again, which wasn’t as bad as she first thought. Maybe if she just piled everything in the sink they could stack it in the dishwasher later…?

Katie bounded back up to her side. ‘Is Quinn staying after dinner? Can we watch Frozen?’

Georgie held in a groan. ‘Uh, you’ll have to ask him, I guess.’

‘Okay! Quinn’s so much fun!’

She reached up to her cheek to rub at the flour still stuck to it. 

‘I guess he is,’ she admitted with a smile. 

She loved that about him, too. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song Quinn sings along to is 'I Wouldn't Be A Man' by Josh Turner, just fyi. A classic of mid-noughties country, imo.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Further adventures in babysitting and Quinn has a plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, turns all it took for me to return to this fic was a global pandemic and enforced time inside! So helpful! Anyway, here's something I have produced to stave off boredom.
> 
> Also, anyone know if we have any news on season 14?

After dinner (which was actually one of the best mac and cheeses Georgie had tasted - Quinn delighted in her grumbled admission) Katie did indeed wheedle them both into watching Frozen. Georgie pretended to be ambivalent about the movie choice and settled into the middle of the sofa, her sister on one side, Quinn on the other. They’d found a packet of microwave popcorn buried in the back of a cupboard and Georgie had the bowl balanced in her lap, although Katie was already inching it nearer to her.

Katie proceeded to eat way more than her fair share of the popcorn and dance around in her seat to the songs, even pulling Georgie to her feet to duet at one point. Quinn sat and watched them, laughing, until Georgie yanked on his arm.

‘C’mon, you can take over my part. I’ve heard your voice now, you could hardly murder this any more than I am.’

Quinn shook his head crossed his arms. ‘No, no. I’m enjoying the show. Besides, I think Katie’s divvied up the roles. She’s Anna and Elsa and you’re Hans and I’m Kristoff and Olaf. That right, Katie?’

‘Yep!’ Katie replied, although Georgie was pretty sure she would have agreed to anything Quinn said.

‘Hey, how come you both get two roles?’

‘Fine,’ Quinn added, grinning. ‘You can be the reindeer too if you want.’

She glared at him and collapsed back down onto the sofa, moodily shoving a handful of popcorn into her mouth. Katie was still prancing around, yodeling along to the end of ‘Love Is An Open Door.’

‘It’s your turn next, Kristoff. Hope you like singing about reindeers,’ she grumbled. 

‘Thank you. I think it’s an underrated song in the film, actually.’

‘How do you even know this film so well, anyway? I’m a girl, what’s your excuse?’

Quinn raised an eyebrow. ‘Now, now, let's not reduce this down to gender stereotypes, shall we? And it’s because I babysat for one of my neighbors a lot when she needed someone on short notice. We'd watch movies until she came back from whatever errand she was doing. I can also vouch for Moana, and I know Disney’s got some things to answer for, but I’m personally a fan of Pocahontas.’

Georgie looked at him. ‘Are you for real? You know, sometimes I think they made you in a lab or something.’

‘What do you mean?’ Quinn laughed.

‘Never mind. Just…. shut up and eat your popcorn until your song’ - which Quinn duly did.

When the song came around he did an almost uncanny imitation of Kristoff’s voice, which delighted Katie, making her squeal with happiness. He followed it later with a very amusing rendition of Olaf’s song, complete with actions and imitations. By the time they had finished the film and chivvied Katie into bed, Georgie was pretty sure Quinn was Katie’s new favorite person.

‘I think you’ve won yourself a fan tonight.’

‘Hah. You think? I’m serious about Moana, you know. Maybe next time we can watch that.’

Georgie smiled, turning out the light in the hall outside Katie’s room. ‘That sounds nice actually. I don’t spend enough time with Katie, I know.’

‘It’s a date, then.’

‘Peak romance huh?’

They dropped back into the couch together and Quinn dragged Georgie until she was snuggled against his side. He slung an arm around her shoulders to play with the ends of her ponytail and Georgie hummed her satisfaction, burying down into his broad shoulder.

‘This is nice.’

‘Strong adjective use.’

‘You know what I mean.’

‘I do.’ 

Outside Georgie could hear the distant whinnying of the horses, the wind in the trees. The house around them was still and quiet. Katie was wiped out after the karaoke session. Their plates from dinner were neatly stacked in the dishwasher. Georgie was hit by a wave of feeling, like she and Quinn were playing house, in a way that she’d never experienced when babysitting with Wyatt or Adam. It felt different somehow. Heavier. Like a mirage, she could see another house, another time - hovering just out of reach, but the feel of Quinn’s thighs pressed against hers was just the same. 

She bit her lip silently, but Quinn glanced down and caught the strange expression on her face.

‘You know, normally I don’t expect that face when cuddling.’

Georgie grimaced. ‘Sorry.’

He chuckled. ‘No, it’s fine. What I mean is, what’s up?’

She lifted her head off his chest and attempted a shrug. ‘I don’t know - I’m just being stupid, probably.’

‘I doubt that,’ Quinn replied firmly. 

‘I guess, it’s just — like,’ she gave a vague exasperated flick of her hand, ‘the future?’

‘What about,’ he imitated her hand gesture, eyes twinkling, ‘the future?’

‘Does it make sense if I say that I guess it just didn’t feel real before?’

There was a slight pause. ’No.’ Quinn’s voice was serious and Georgie was glad. She didn’t want him to laugh at her right now. ‘But before what?’

She squirmed a little. ‘Before… you? I guess?’

A flicker of something danced behind Quinn’s eyes. ‘And it does now?’

‘Sorta? I don’t even know what I’m trying to say. Just like — I never really thought much about like, college or life after it. I’m gonna go, don’t worry,’ she rushed to add before he could cut in, ‘but I’ll still be living here at the ranch. I like it here. I love my family. I’ve never really, properly thought about leaving. But…’ She tailed off. Quinn was unnaturally still next to her.

‘But?’ he prompted gently. 

‘But I can’t stay here forever, can I?’

Quinn didn’t reply straight away, but then he smiled softly. ‘I guess that’s up to you.’

‘But it’s not though, is it? Not entirely. Thinking I was gonna live here forever, that’s childish.’

‘Amy’s stayed at the ranch. It’s not unnatural of you to think that, I guess.’

Georgie swept out another arm. ‘Yeah but Amy has Ty and he works in town, and their whole life is here - together.’ 

‘That’s true.’

She let out a deep sigh. ‘And you live in America.’

Quinn’s smile tipped up further and a dimple in his cheek popped. ‘I _used_ to live in America.’

‘Yeah, but your mom’s still there. And your friends.’

‘That’s also true,’ he said calmly. 

Georgie sat up and groaned, unable to carry on the conversation further. This prompted Quinn to burst into a peal of laughter. Georgie glared at him.

‘How is this funny?’ she pouted.

Quinn attempted to pull his expression back into a serious one, but he failed, his other dimple joining the previous one. ‘Georgie, if I didn’t know you better, I’d say you were having commitment issues.’

Georgie’s frown deepened. ’Commitment issues?’

‘Mmmh,’ Quinn hummed. ‘You’re straight-up freaking out right now.’

Georgie didn’t bother denying it. She _did_ feel a little freaked out. 

‘Maybe I should take it personally, but you know what? I’m actually gonna do the opposite.’

She crossed her arms. ‘The opposite?’

‘Uh-huh.’

When all Georgie did was glower further he laughed again and pulled her gently back onto his lap.

‘I think…. what you’re experiencing is…. having to consider, perhaps even accommodate, other people into your future. Namely, me. You're adjusting your expectations. Your plans. And I’m flattered.’

Georgie let that sink in for a second. ’You make me seem pretty selfish.’

‘No, I don’t mean that. It’s like you said - you never had to consider it before. And now you are. That’s a big step. Huge.’

‘Now you sound patronizing.’

Quinn huffed out a breath, still mildly amused. ‘Georgie. Please.’

She threw up her hands. ‘I don’t like it, okay! I don’t like the not-knowing!’

He moved to stroke a palm across her back. ‘Georgie, everyone feels like that sometimes. I know I do.’ 

‘You do?’

“Yeah. I mean, as soon as I decided to come to Canada, my whole future at Dad’s stables just kind of _dissolved_. I took a flight, knowing that if things with you went well, I’d just be leaping into something entirely new. I don’t know what’s gonna happen any more than you do, but I don’t mind. You just have to—‘

‘Leap,’ Georgie finished for him. 

‘Yeah.’

‘Feels like diving off a cliff more than a leap, to be honest.’

Quinn smiled. ‘Oh yeah?’

‘No parachute, either.’

This startled a laugh out of Quinn again. He reached for Georgie’s hips and pulled her against him, mouthing a kiss against her neck. ‘I’ll be your parachute, I promise.’

Georgie’s laugh turned into a gasp as Quinn found the soft place above her collarbone and bit down, very gently. 

‘Now stop thinking about it for a bit,’ he commanded quietly and Georgie surrendered pretty easily after that. 

/

A couple of days later Georgie sat at the ranch kitchen table, clutching a mug of coffee in her hands. It was early and still fresh outside, so the warmth seeping into her fingers felt nice. She was startled out of her thoughts when Lou dropped into the chair opposite and pushed what looked like a grocery bag across the table. 

‘What’s this?’

She was already reaching inside to have a look when Lou shot out a hand to stop her. ‘No don’t. It’s just the… stuff we talked about. I didn’t know if you’d already got some so I thought - just to be safe. I got… a variety.’

George caught sight of several boxes and the word ‘ribbed’ before snatching her hand back again, her cheeks already beginning to flame. ‘Err, thanks, Mom.’

‘Make sure your grandpa doesn’t see them - this is definitely not a conversation I want to be having with him - take them over to the loft now, or something.’

Georgie picked up the bag and went to leave. Lou was already busying herself with the coffee pot. She hovered by the door. 'You’re a cool mom, you know that?’

Lou looked up and flashed her a smile. ‘Oh, I’m gonna remember you said that for the future. But thanks, sweetie.’

Georgie rolled her eyes and pulled on her jacket.

‘Oh and honey?’

‘Yes, Mom?’

‘Tell Quinn I said yes.’

Georgie’s eyebrows shot up. ‘Yes, what? Huh?’

Lou grinned at her. ‘Just tell him I said yes. Oh, and that they’re in the plant pot.’

‘Now I really don’t know what you’re talking about.’

Lou’s smile widened and she just shooed her out the door. Georgie went grudgingly, already pulling her phone out of her pocket. It was early but Quinn would be awake. 

_Lou’s going insane, I’m pretty sure. She wants me to tell you ‘yes’ and ‘they’re in the plant pot’_

_???_

_please explain??_

**Oh amazing! She could have just texted me that - I have her number**

_You do???_

**Of course I do** ****

_ I think she likes torturing me. You’re both being really weird. She gave me condoms this morning!!!!  _

**See, I knew she was a cool mom!** ****

_ … I did say thanks. Will you be around for lunch? _

**I dunno, my day’s pretty packed**

_You have to tell me what Lou meant???_ ****

**Sorry babe! Catch you later!** ****

Georgie spent a busy day, split between the office and running supplies to the grooms and trainers but somehow didn’t catch even a glimpse of Quinn until she headed out to the parking lot at the end of the day, to find Quinn’s lanky form leaning against the bed of her truck, waiting for her.

‘Hello stranger,’ she said, trying to keep any trace of a sulk from her voice.

Quinn pushed himself away from the truck and straightened up, smiling. ‘Hey yourself. ‘

‘Busy day?’ she added, a little frostily. 

‘Totally swept up.’ He shrugged, apologetic. ‘Want me to drive?’

She narrowed her eyes and dug in her pocket for her keys. ‘If you like.’ She tossed them into the air and Quinn caught them deftly, swinging round to the driver’s door. 

‘Awesome. Hop in, road trip buddy.’

Georgie clambered into the passenger seat and buckled herself in. ‘Are we not just going home for dinner?’

Quinn’s fingers flexed restlessly on the steering wheel and now Georgie was up close, there was a sort of excited energy radiating from his bunched up shoulders and wide grin. 

‘Quinn?’

‘What if I told you I’d got dinner covered?’

‘Maggie’s?’

‘No…. Actually, maybe it’s better if you don’t ask questions.’

Georgie scoffed. ’Are you kidnapping me or something?’

‘No, I have Lou’s permission.’

‘Quinn, what is going on?’

‘Shhh, let’s just drive.’

Leaning back into her seat, Georgie gave up and let Quinn start up the engine and pull out of the stables. She wasn’t a massive fan of surprises, but she trusted Quinn, and dinner somewhere other than the ranch sounded nice, actually. She flicked on the radio and when they got out onto the highway Quinn let one hand drop from the wheel to curl over her thigh and squeeze lightly. 

‘I’m sorry I ditched you at lunch. I was just worried I’d accidentally tell you what I’ve got planned,’ he admitted. 

Georgie, who was thoroughly distracted by the feel of Quinn’s palm though her jeans, struggled to respond. ‘It’s alright.’ Quinn’s thumb smoothed across the denim in a movement that was maybe meant to relax her but actually sent her mind spinning. 

Then the light touch stopped as Quinn reached for something in his pocket and pulled it out. It was a tie. 

‘Okay, put this on.’

‘You want me to put on a blindfold?’ Georgie asked incredulously. 

‘You know this place too well! You’ll guess where we’re going from where I’m driving in like another minute.’

Georgie grumbled, but he had a point. She’d already ruled out a bunch of options, just from the direction they’d turned after leaving the stables. She reached for Quinn’s navy silk tie and settled it over her eyes, reaching back to knot it securely underneath her ponytail. 

‘This better be good,’ she grumbled. Beside her, Quinn laughed.

‘No pressure, huh?’

But he returned his hand to her leg and Georgie didn’t feel like grumbling further. Without sight, Quinn’s palm felt even bigger and closer to her skin. She squirmed in her seat a little, which Quinn mistook for impatience. 

‘I promise it’s not far.’

‘You make a lot of promises,’ she replied. Like the hand currently inching higher on her thigh. She hoped that was a promise too.

Quinn laughed and moved his hand. ‘Do I? Okay, I have to concentrate on the road now.’

The silk felt pleasantly cool against her eyelids. Georgie nodded and settled back in her seat and waited. For what, she didn't know. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quinn has a surprise for Georgie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, friends. Thank you for all your delightful comments. I hope you're all doing as well as can be in this crazy world right now. Here's an update. Keep well x

Quinn had to help Georgie down from the truck - he practically had to lift her out of the cab, thanks to the blindfold. Georgie felt for gravel under her trainers, anything that might tell her where they were, but there was nothing. Quinn’s hand settled on the small of her back and pushed her gently forwards.

‘I feel like you’re gonna walk me into a wall or something,’ Georgie grumbled. 

Quinn just laughed. ’Oh ye of little faith.’

He had to make her pause to help her navigate up a few steps and then his hand slipped away as Georgie heard him scrabble around for something around the direction of the floor. In a plant pot?

The pieces finally slid into place. 

She kept on the blindfold, eyes closed against the silk, but there really was no point now. For a second she considered humoring Quinn - but that felt wrong somehow. There was a click as Quinn got the door open and his palm returned to coax Georgie forwards, but she resisted.

‘Quinn, are we at the dude ranch?’

There was a slight pause. Georgie was suddenly afraid she’d ruined everything. Quinn had been _so_ excited and he’d obviously been planning this for a while - and god, she was the _worst_ girlfriend. The worst. She couldn’t have acted surprised and grateful or—?

‘Welp, I knew the chances of you figuring that out were at least seventy percent. I gotta say, I didn’t think I’d even get this far to be honest.’ He was chuckling and she felt him pull her hand softly into his own.

Georgie was too surprised at his genial reaction at first to do anything. When she scrambled to pull off the tie, wanting to get a proper look at his face, Quinn gently stopped her.

‘Ah, not just yet.’

There was the sound of the door opening and then he tugged her over the threshold and maneuvered her into place in the middle of what Georgie knew was one of her mother’s holiday cabins. She felt Quinn’s fingers untying the blindfold and pulling it away, careful not to catch on any stray hair from her ponytail. Georgie blinked against the light. And then she blinked again. 

She’d expected to see the same boring cabin that she’s cleaned out a hundred times before. 

Instead, the dark wood was festooned with strings of fairy lights. There were clusters of pillar candles too, waiting to be lit, and Quinn had draped the bed and couch with blankets.

‘When did you do all this?’

‘Perhaps my day was not as busy as I said it was…’

Quinn was looking at her with a small smile. Georgie was aware he was waiting for approval, even nervous of her reaction. She swallowed. 

‘Quinn, it’s… I mean…. wow,’ she got out, rather lamely. Quinn’s smile faltered.

‘You hate it,’ he replied flatly. ‘Don’t you? I’m sorry, this is the best thing I could think of. I thought it might be bit like a holiday, just something different? I’m sorry, it was dumb, maybe…’ He trailed off and Georgie winced. 

‘No, no. It’s beautiful. Cozy.’

‘We can just get back in the car and get pizza, Georgie, I don’t mind, really.’ Quinn’s voice was soft and apologetic but Georgie suspected he didn’t know exactly what he was sorry for, only that it was obvious he hadn’t got the reaction from Georgie he’d hoped. Still, he was trying to be kind.

On the small dining table, Georgie spotted a bottle of wine. The tightening feeling in the pit of her stomach increased.

This was stupid. She was being stupid. 

‘No, no, Don’t. Sorry, I’m just… a little overwhelmed, I guess?’

Quinn frowned and reached to catch up one of her hands, which was floundering uselessly by her side.

‘Overwhelmed how?’

Georgie could feel her face turning scarlet. Only a few minutes ago, back in the car, she’d been helplessly distracted by how close Quinn was to her. She'd encouraged him so many times, had wanted him so desperately. And now the moment was here and Quinn had made it so beautiful and she was… uncomfortable.

‘I don’t have any condoms with me,’ she blurted out. Quinn looked stunned for a fraction of a second and then squeezed her hand. 

‘Oh. You’re nervous,’ he said with dawning recognition. 

‘No,’ Georgie replied immediately, but it was an instinctual denial and Quinn knew better than to believe her.She sighed. 

‘I haven’t brought you here to seduce you, Georgie. I mean, to be honest, hopefully, you wouldn’t _need_ seducing.’

‘But the candles…. and the condoms….’ 

Quinn’s eyes crinkled. ‘Ah, I see. You’re trying to seduce _me_ with poetry. Nice alliteration.’

Despite herself, Georgie smiled. ‘Quinn, I’m being serious.’

He sobered again instantly. ‘So am I. I just wanted to do something nice. Be away from the Ranch for a little bit, even if it is just Lou’s guest house. It wasn’t meant to pressure you. I’m sorry if it read that way.’

Georgie felt foolish now. Quinn leaned down and kissed her, softly, a barely-there kiss, no power or demand behind it. 

‘Do you still want pizza? We can totally still go for pizza.’

‘No. This is amazing. But I am hungry.’

‘Great, then we’ll order pizza here,’ Quinn agreed easily. Whilst he pulled out his phone to ring with their order (Georgie was in fact a big proponent of pineapple on pizza, which Quinn already knew) Georgie shrugged off her jacket and collapsed in one of the armchairs. She hadn’t noticed, standing with her back to the door, but along one wall Quinn had hung what looked to be a white bedsheet. 

Quinn pocketed his phone and turned back to her. She gestured towards the wall hanging. ‘What’s this?’

‘Ah, yeah. Hang on.’ He rummaged in a small rucksack he’d brought with him and came out with a small projector, which he placed on the bedside table. ‘This was actually supposed to be the main event. Tah-dah. Movie time.’

‘Oh, that’s very cool.’

‘The price of admission to Quinn’s Movie Theater is one kiss, please.’

Georgie rolled her eyes. ‘I kissed you a minute ago.’ 

He tipped his head to the side and pretended to consider it. ‘Nope, sorry. Wasn’t legal tender. Have you got any other forms of payment?’

Georgie felt a giggle bubble up. ’Come here, then.’

Quinn grinned and came over to where she was sitting and extended a hand as if to help her up. Instead, Georgie tugged on it. Quinn pitched forward and ended up sprawled on top of her, sharp elbows seemingly everywhere.

‘Ooft.’

‘Sorry, that worked better in my head.’

They both shuffled and squirmed for a few seconds until they were both squeezed into the armchair. Georgie’s legs were hooked over Quinn’s, the rest of their bodies impossibly close. It only took a tiny movement to bring her lips up to his. She could feel him smiling behind the kiss at first, still laughing. Wanting him to concentrate, at least, Georgie bit down very gently on Quinn’s bottom lip. The effect was immediate - Quinn let out a hiss of breath and moved forward to cover Georgie, pressing her into the soft cushions of the chair. She nipped at him again and was rewarded this time with a groan. She could feel him in his jeans against her but it didn’t make her panic anymore. She kissed him harder, for what seemed like hours until they were forced to break apart, both panting. 

‘So, uh, do I get in?’ Georgie asked, still wedged underneath him, his breath mingling with hers. 

Quinn blinked at her blankly. ‘What?’

‘For the movie?’ She watched the fuzz clear from behind his eyes, amused. 

‘Oh. Yeah. Double feature. You’re all good.’

‘Oh, excellent,’she replied, pleased her kissing skills had been rewarded. 

Quinn tipped back his head and laughed, a clear ringing bell of a laugh, loud and spontaneous. Just hearing it made Georgie feel warmer inside, somehow. But she frowned at him.

‘What’s so funny?’

‘You, of course.’

‘Me?’

‘As if I’d ever deny you anything, Georgie. As if I could.’

xxx

The pizza came and they ate on the bed, Georgie using Quinn as a cushion which he made no complaints about. She was allowed movie choice too, so she chose ‘Before Sunrise’ and ‘Before Sunset’, which they watched back-to-back. Quinn had never seen them before, but after they finished he stayed frozen and just let the credits roll. Georgie turned to find him with a panicked look on his face.

‘What?’

‘Tell me it doesn’t end like that!’

‘Oh, no, there’s another film.’

‘Great. Put it on. I need to see them end up together!’

Georgie smiled. ‘Hmm, I would, but personally, I find ‘Before Midnight’ to be, like, a terrifying movie.’

Quinn’s eyes widened. ‘What? How do you mean? Do they not stay together?’

‘I’m not telling you, it’d ruin it.’

He pouted and threw a cushion at her, which Georgie was able to catch neatly. She laughed. They’d opened the bottle of wine during the films. She’d drunk before, of course; a few sneaky beers when out camping with friends, a glass of wine at family events, but she and Quinn had split the bottle and she's had a little more than she was used to. Not enough to be drunk, just… very relaxed. Her body felt languid. 

She watched as Quinn slid off the bed and rummaged in his rucksack again, This time he came up with a washbag and something else.

‘Are those my pyjamas?’

‘Yup. I may have stolen them from the loft last week.’

‘Sneaky. And prepared.’

‘I try.’

Because of the films they’d watched it was already past midnight. She took her things from Quinn and went to the small cabin bathroom. The pyjamas Quinn had picked out for her made her smile- they were a pair that was slightly too small - but of course, he wouldn’t know that. The shorts were fine, it was just the camisole that went with it pinched under her arms these days. She ought to have thrown it out years ago. This was what she got for being lazy. 

She stuck her head out of the bathroom door. Quinn was lying on the bed, tapping through his phone but stopped when he noticed her. 

‘What’ve I done? Brought the wrong toothbrush?’

‘No. I haven’t actually checked that. It’s just…. my top…. it’s a bit small. These are my old pyjamas.’

‘Ah shit. Sorry, Georgie.’

‘It’s fine. Did you bring anything else?’

He shook his head and Georgie bit her lip.

‘If you feel like just… not wearing one, that would be totally fine with me.’

She rolled her eyes again and Quinn grinned playfully. She knew he wasn’t being serious. He went back to his rucksack and fetched out something else, which he threw to her.

‘It’s mine. Yours, now.’

The shirt was soft grey cotton, obviously old, and when Georgie shook it out she could read the logo and words printed in peeling letters. She quirked an eyebrow.

‘You played lacrosse in high school?’

‘Sure did.’

‘Were you any good?’

‘I was alright.’

Georgie shook her head. ‘I bet you’re being modest.’ 

‘Well I guess you’ll never know, will you. High school was years ago for me now.’

‘Oh yes, I forgot you’re such an old man.’

Quinn laughed. ’And old men need to sleep. Are you done in the bathroom?’

‘One sec.’

She closed the door again and slipped on Quinn’s shirt. It was huge on her and hung past the edge of her shorts across her thighs. It smelt like laundry detergent and something cedary, Quinn’s cologne. She loved it.

There was a knock on the door and Georgie moved to let Quinn in. ‘You know you’re never getting this back now, right?’

For a second Quinn stood in the doorway and looked at her. ‘A willing sacrifice,’ he replied. 

‘Good.’

‘You mind if I brush my teeth too?’

‘Go ahead.’

There was only one vanity in the bathroom so they shared the sink. Georgie had weird thoughts about trying to brush her teeth neatly, or something, but she kept on catching Quinn’s eye through the mirror, and he kept on grinning, foamy toothpaste around his mouth on purpose, which made Georgie laugh so much she had to spit and rinse to stop choking. After they’d both cleaned up Quinn caught Georgie’s chin softly with his fingers.

‘You’ve still got some toothpaste….’

‘Where?’ She bought up a hand to rub it away, but Quinn beat her to it, leaning forward to lick the spot by the corner of her mouth, before kissing her gently. His breath was mint, his mouth cold. Georgie felt a pleasant shiver all through her body.

Quinn came to bed in just his pyjama pants of course and climbed in under the heavy bedspread next to her. Georgie felt a fraction of the panic she’d felt at the beginning of the evening returning, making her lie stiff and rigid next to him. 

‘Hey, look at me.’

With an effort, Georgie turned her head to see Quinn rolled over next to her. She could see his long eyelashes, his sharp cheekbones, and his gentle expression.

‘You okay?’

‘Yes.’

‘Want to go to sleep, then?’

‘… No.’ Because she didn’t. Not really.

Quinn only nodded. ‘Stop me at any time. I mean it, Georgie. Okay?’

Now it was her turn to nod.

He shuffled closer, reaching out to slide a hand over her hip. He kissed her forehead first, then her lips, then her neck, hot open-mouthed kisses. His hand rucked up her shirt until his long fingers were sliding over warm skin, reaching underneath the waistband of her shorts and yanking her closer. His thigh slid between her own and there was so much less material between them now than there ever had been before. Her body felt hot and bright and alive. 

She must have made a noise because Quinn answered her, his voice tickling the shell of her ear.

‘Okay. Hang on. Yes.’

He was tugging on her shirt now. She remembered she’d asked to take it off. She let him pull it over her head and his hands were there already. She gasped, just as Quinn shifted his body and the resulting friction made her eyes roll in her head.

‘Okay?’ Quinn asked again. She managed to nod and wondered how Quinn had enough breath left to form words.

The next time she opened her eyes Quinn was looking down at her, propped on an elbow, and he was smiling. She pushed up to kiss him but had to stop to bite off a groan. 

xxx

They’d kicked off all the covers off in the night - not surprising since it was still summer and hot sun rays were already attempting to stream past the thick curtains. Quinn was still asleep, splayed on his front, the deep groove of his spine and the bunched muscles of his shoulders fascinatingly visible. Georgie watched him for a while before slipping silently out of bed. She blushed when retrieving her shirt and shorts from the floor and pulled them on quickly. The deck outside was bathed in light, warm and golden. She settled into one of the wooden chairs. Her body felt pleasantly achy somehow. She was most sore between her thighs, but even that felt like a reminder of a pleasant memory.

She must have nodded off, because Quinn’s voice startled her. He was holding out a mug of coffee to her, which she took gratefully. ‘Thank you.’

‘Morning, beautiful.’

He’d called her that a lot last night, she remembered. She was blushing again. ‘Morning yourself.’

‘How’re you feeling?’ He dropped into the seat next to her and she squinted at him through the morning sun.

‘Is there where I say I feel like a new woman or something?’

‘Don’t feel pressured, but my ego would thank you.’ He smiled. ‘No, really. How’re you?’

‘Good. Tired.’ She took a sip of her coffee. ‘What’s the time, do you know?’

‘Just after six.’

‘Oh god, when we get back to the ranch everyone will already be up.’

‘Mmmh, probably,’ Quinn admitted. ‘On the other hand, they might have breakfast for us.’

Georgie sent him a horrified look. ‘You want to join my family for breakfast?’

‘Well, you did help me work up an appetite last night…’

‘Quinn!’

He was teasing her again, of course, but then he shrugged. ‘Well, it’s gonna look conspicuous either way, Georgie. I’d feel a bit better if I wasn’t just dropping you off and then scramming. Besides, no one’s gonna bring up your sex life over a slice of toast. Lou’s cool with it. So’s Amy. And it’s your own business. Haven’t you said that to me before?’

He was being reasonable again. Georgie admired that about him, but it was really very maddening sometimes. She gulped down some more coffee. 

‘If I need therapy after this, you’re footing the bill,’ she muttered. Quinn smirked and pretended not to hear her.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Georgie braves her family. Quinn and Georgie have a chat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well.... I mean... *gestures to everything* this is horrendous. So have another (short-ish) chapter. It doesn't make up for it of course, but it helped distract me.
> 
> Y'all went silent on me last chapter though guys. Did I scare you away? 
> 
> And who wants to talk about the s14 renewal?

Quinn drove again and George sat mostly in silence in the passenger seat, while he nattered away about their plans for the rest of the day. She mumbled an input where she thought one was required and Quinn either didn’t notice or didn’t seem to mind that the conversation was pretty much entirely one-sided, and for that Georgie was grateful. As the wheels crunched over the gravel outside the ranch, Georgie winced. She could already tell everyone was going to be inside. She could feel it in the air somehow. Tim would be sitting with a mug of coffee, Jack would be picking over the weekend crossword, Katie still in a strop about being given porridge again. Amy would be eating her cornflakes by the sink and Lou would be by the coffee pot, topping up her third mug of the day already. Ty would probably be sat with Lyndy, maybe not in the kitchen, but still definitely around to witness her embarrassment. She would not be spared.

As they moved towards the screen door Quinn caught up her hand. At first, she wanted to pull away, worried that they’d be way too conspicuous, but Quinn’s grip was steady and strong (and not even a bit sweaty) and it felt reassuring. She was pretty sure her own palm was very, very damp.

Quinn gave her hand a squeeze. ‘You’re fine.’

‘Totally fine,’ Georgie repeated, her high pitch giving her away. She pushed open the door anyway.

Inside, almost everyone was arranged just as she thought they would be. Okay, so actually Amy was on the couch with Lyndy and Ty was pouring out cereal, but close enough. She knew her family.

Lou glanced up as they came through the door and Georgie braced herself for some sort of comment or knowing look or… something. Lou blinked. And then she smiled.

‘Oh, good morning you guys. Coffee?’

Georgie froze. Quinn answered for her, his voice breezy and bright. Never anything less than the Golden Boy, of course.

‘Thanks, Lou, that would be wonderful.’

‘Uh, Mom, is it alright if Quinn joins us for breakfast?’

‘I mean, sure. It’s not much of a sit-down thing, everyone’s a bit busy today, but there are some pastries going spare.’ She gestured towards a bag on the table. ‘You guys got any plan for today?’

‘We, uh…’ She definitely had not been listening on the drive over.

‘We were thinking of a trail ride, actually,’ Quinn supplied. Were they? How wonderful.

Jack, frowning down at his newspaper, grunted. ‘Good idea. Lovely weather for it.’ He did not glance up.

Tim pushed out his seat at the table and reached for his jacket. ‘Well, I’ve got to get to my weekend kids rodeo class. It’s the pushy parents that pay the bills, after all. I’ll see you later for dinner.’ He dumped his mug in the sink before he left and Lou groaned.

‘Guess, I’ll do the washing up then,’ she muttered.

Amy, bouncing Lyndy up and down on her knee, paused for a second. ‘There are some chores in the stable before you go out Georgie. There’s a couple of stalls that need cleaning and the feed needs topping up. I’d help but I have a client today.’

‘I’ll help,’ Quinn volunteered.

‘Awesome, thank you.’ Amy replied with a smile. ‘Guess I should go change this one.’ She left with Lyndy on her hip and disappeared into her bedroom.

Ty emptied out his cereal bowl of the dregs of milk and sighed. ‘I should go too. I’ve had a call out. Something about a stray horse.’

‘Oh, wow, really?’ Georgie said, temporarily distracted.

‘Yeah. A couple of farms away. The horse just turned up out of the blue and they have no idea whose it is. Definitely not wild. They want me to come and check it out.’

‘Do you want me to come and help?’

‘Nah, you and Quinn have fun. I’ll call if I think you can give us a hand, but it might sort itself out. I mean, fingers crossed.’

Georgie felt mildly disappointed. ‘Oh, sure. I’ll keep my phone on.’

And then Ty left too, dumping his bowl on the growing pile next to the sink. Lou eyed him angrily as he headed out the door.

Jack pulled himself to his feet and drained his mug of coffee. Lou whirled around. ‘You better not dump that mug with the rest of everybody else’s,’ she warned.

‘What, am I supposed to carry it around with me for the rest of the day?’ Jack chuckled. ‘Nobody’s asking you to do the washing up, Lou.’

‘If I don’t do it nobody else will.’

‘Well that’s a hypothesis you’re going to have to test, isn’t it? And you can’t do that if you’re always cleaning up anyway.’ He smiled at Lou’s furious expression and placed his mug gently down on the side of the counter. ‘Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going fishing.’

‘Typical,’ Lou muttered at his retreating back.

And Georgie found herself alone with Quinn and Lou in the kitchen. Which was somehow even worse.

Georgie went and grabbed the still-warm coffee pot and set about pouring out two mugs, busying herself with sweetener and cream, which she didn’t even usually like. Too late, she realised she’d abandoned Quinn on his own to hover by the kitchen table, his hands shoved deep into his pockets, trying his hardest to look at ease.

Lou paused in running the tap for hot washing up water.

‘So,’ she began, her voice unnaturally wooden. Georgie groaned internally. ‘Did you, uh, have any trouble with the spare key, Quinn?’

‘Uh, no ma’am. It was right where you said it would be.’

‘Oh, good,’ Lou replied, far too breezily. ‘Did you have a nice date?’

‘I always have a nice time with Georgie,’ Quinn answered diplomatically. Georgie took pity on him and went to stand by his side and handed him a cup of coffee. He flashed her a grateful smile and took a big sip. Georgie thought he was hiding behind the mug but on closer inspection, she realised he was hiding his smile. She nearly elbowed him in the ribs.

‘We watched a couple of movies,’ Georgie added.

‘Oh, how nice,’ Lou replied placidly.

‘I didn’t get time to tidy up the cabin this morning, but I still have the key, so I’ll clean it tomorrow if that’s okay with you ma’am?’

Lou waved a hand. ‘No problem. There are new guests checking in on Monday, so as long as it’s tidy before then.’

‘Of course.’

Lou turned back to her washing up. ‘So trail ride today, huh?’

‘It’s such a nice day, it would be a shame to waste it,’ Georgie shrugged.

‘Absolutely. Well, if you like, you can just take the pastries and run along. Don’t waste time here!’

Georgie quirked an eyebrow. ‘Uh, sure. Thank you, mom.’

She reached out to snag the brown paper bag. Quinn had already taken her mug and was apologetically adding them to Lou’s pile. This time she didn’t object, just told them sunnily to have fun and waved them out of the kitchen door, less than twenty minutes since they’d come in.

Outside and far enough away from the house, Quinn could no longer contain his mirth.

‘Did she just tell us to ‘run along’? What are we, five years old?’ Georgie snorted. ‘She’s so weird!’

‘I… think… that was Lou trying to be discreet,’ Quinn laughed.

‘She totally knew!’

‘She suspected,’ Quinn parried. ‘That was funny, but nobody else but Lou even batted an eyelid, Georgie. Did you really think they would?’

She shrugged. ‘It just makes me uncomfortable,’ she grumbled.

‘You’re so used to being the baby of the family,’ Quinn chuckled. Georgie, who had been in step beside him, drew up short.

‘What’s that supposed to mean? And I’m not the baby of the family, Katie is.’

‘Katie’s too young to count,’ Quinn dismissed. ‘The age-gap makes a difference. You’re so used to being coddled, you kind of expect it.’

‘_Coddled_?’ Georgie repeated, with a sneer. ‘Is that what you think I am?’

Immediately, Quinn looked regretful. ‘That was the wrong word. Protected, I meant.’

‘What’s the difference?’ she snarled.

Quinn took a step towards her again and Georgie immediately took an equal one back. He stopped and sighed, dragging a hand through his hair. ‘I _mean _that your family cares about you, Georgie. And that sometimes they’re a little over-protective and that maybe you’ve come to anticipate that and you over-worry.’ He shook his head. ‘I didn’t mean to be… harsh, or anything.’

Georgie swallowed. ‘Right. Thanks for the therapy session.’

Quinn flinched at the sarcasm. ‘_Georgie_.’

She sighed and started walking again and Quinn hurried to catch up. ‘I’m sorry that I upset you.’

‘I’m not upset.’

Quinn wisely did not attempt to contradict this but instead caught her wrist gently. They’d been heading towards the barn and when they strode inside he drew to a halt, so Georgie was forced to stop too.

‘What?’

‘Just hold on a second.’

Georgie tugged her hand free and crossed her arms across her chest, looking up at him expectantly.

‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to annoy you. Can you forgive me, please?’

Quinn’s blue eyes were big and regretful. He looked as handsome as ever, of course. Georgie felt her irritation fading. Maybe because she _did_ recognise the truth in his words. She still didn’t think this morning of all mornings was a great time to bring it up, but she understood where Quinn was coming from. She nodded stiffly and Quinn’s face broke out in a smile.

‘Can I kiss you to make up for my rude behaviour?’

His question made her roll her eyes but she couldn’t help a small smile in return, which Quinn took as the yes he was looking for. He sealed his lips over hers in a kiss that was more enthusiastic than she expected. She could taste his apology, she fancied, but there was no gentleness, just his tongue running the seam of her lips and dipping inside, his hand on the back of her neck, scraping just slightly enough to make her shiver. They stumbled backwards until Quin hit the barn wall. Georgie tumbled against him. Memories of the night before flashed against her eyelids until her body felt like it was humming all over.

Georgie tore herself away, just to regain her breath and ended up giggling. ‘Talk about nought to sixty,’ she huffed.

Quinn’s laughter was husky, his chest still heaving. ‘Sorry, I can’t help myself. Please don’t hate me more, but you’re very cute when you’re angry.’

‘Oh am I?’

‘Mmmh. Your lips get all pouty, and they’re irresistible enough without that anyway.’

‘Oh,’ Georgie blushed. ‘Thanks. I guess.’

It was only then that Georgie realised that the bag of pastries she’d been holding on to was currently completely flattened between their bodies. Quinn glanced down at the crumpled bag and laughed.

‘Serves us right. Come on, let’s go have breakfast.’

Xxx

They only rode for about a mile until they stopped and dismounted, in the end. Georgie’s body was stiff and horse riding, even in the deep trail riding saddle, was more ache-inducing than she thought it would be.

Quinn seemed to realise and was happy to tie up the horses to a tree and walk down to the river bank instead.

They chatted for a little about Ty’s mystery horse and some of Amy’s new clients. The mid-morning sun was warm on her face and Georgie, having had less sleep than expected the night before, could feel her eyelids drooping.

Quinn took off the checked shirt he was wearing and spread it over the grass. ‘Here. Lie down for a bit.’

‘I’m fine.’

He raised a lazy eyebrow at her. ‘Okay,’ he said, disbelievingly.

Georgie thought about resisting further, but she really was quite tired and the river bank was very peaceful, what with the gentle rhythm of the water and the breeze in the air. She grumbled a little, just for show, and then lay back against Quinn’s shirt. It smelt like him. Cedar and the faint smell of sweat on a hot day. She didn’t even find that unattractive anymore.

Just as she went to close her eyes again, Quinn slumped back too and rolled to face her.

‘You don’t regret last night, do you? I know I said we’d wait and I truly didn’t organise everything last night just to have sex.’

She blinked. ‘No.’

‘No, you don’t regret it, or no, you do regret it?’ Quinn’s forehead was crinkled with concern.

‘No, I don’t regret it,’ Georgie repeated. ‘Why would I?’

‘I don’t want you to feel like you were rushed into it.’

‘I could have asked you to stop if I wanted to. But I didn’t,’ Georgie said firmly.

Quinn still looked worried, so Georgie continued, even though she could feel her cheeks heating up already. ‘I wanted to. Was I nervous? Yeah, of course I was. But I wanted to have sex with you, Quinn. Please give me credit enough to know what I want and believe me.’

Quinn flashed her a weak smile. ‘I believe you. I just wanted to make sure.’

‘Well, um, thank you for wanting to make sure, I guess.’

Quinn was silent for a second. ‘Did you enjoy it?’

This was different from his joking enquiry from the morning. Georgie’s cheeks blushed brighter, but she was determined to answer. She wasn’t used to seeing Quinn so vulnerable, except when it came to his father.

‘I mean; I think it was pretty evident that I did.’ She paused as Quinn’s lips twitched upwards. ‘I guess it was a little awkward at first and it hurt a bit, but… I’m also assuming it gets, like, better?’

Quinn tipped back his head and laughed. ‘Yeah, it gets better.’

‘And I’ll be able to actually ride a horse properly afterwards soon?’

He chuckled again. ‘Yeah, Georgie, I promise.’

‘Well, alright then.’

‘Well, alright then,’ Quinn repeated with an amused smile. ‘Now, go to sleep, love.’

Georgie shuffled closer until she could rest her head on Quinn’s chest. His t-shirt was soft cotton, his skin was warm, and the steady beat of his heart next to her ear lulled her off to dreams surprisingly quickly.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter arrives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am back! Been busy surviving these last few weeks, so sorry about that. I hope you and yours are safe and well as can be. Here's a chapter and I hope to pick this story back up - but I am starting a new job soon so may not be able to hold to that promise. I will try my hardest!

Georgie would like to think it was just the hot steam rolling off her mug of tea that was causing her to feel hot and flushed - but wouldn’t entirely be correct. She’d been daydreaming more often recently. Only yesterday at the Stables, she’d gotten gently berated by Lisa for filling in an expense form for the horse feed four times without realizing. After that Lisa had sent her outside to ‘clear her head’. It did not help that outside happened to have Quinn in it. In a thin t-shirt. Polishing tackle. Because for some reason, that was now attractive to her.

It was just gone 9pm and the camomile tea was an effort to lull herself into a good night’s rest before a show the next day. Quinn was back in his tiny apartment. The last text message he’d sent her was a picture of his evening meal - an omelet looking decidedly like a plate of scrambled eggs, with a sad-face emoji. Georgie had rolled her eyes and replied ‘_it’s a good thing your talents lay elsewhere…._’

_Oh yeah? And what talents would those be? ;)_ was his reply. 

This did not help matters. 

Georgie rolled her eyes and set down her phone on the coffee table. She’d had a good day. She and Quinn grabbed coffee after work, just chatting over stupid stuff in Maggie’s before she’d driven home. Nothing extraordinary. But it was nice. Simple.

A knock startled her again. She twisted round to see Peter grinning sheepishly at her, hovering at the top of the stairs. She’d been expecting him to arrive in the morning. 

‘Dad!’

‘Hey, honey. Can I come in?’

‘Sure, of course,’ Georgie said quickly, glancing around the small loft. Thankfully it was pretty tidy. She scooted over on the sofa and Peter dropped in next to her.

‘Sorry to disturb your evening, honey. Just thought I’d pop in to say I’ve arrived. I managed to catch an earlier flight.’

‘No, not at all. I was just thinking about heading off to bed, though. I don’t wanna jump tomorrow on no sleep.’

‘Oh, of course not.’ Peter smiled but his eyes slid away, over to the tiny bathroom door. He frowned.

‘So, uhm, Quinn’s not here this evening, then?’ 

His voice, Georgie noted, was at least a pitch higher than usual, and studiously casual. Georgie was caught between rolling her eyes and blushing with embarrassment. She ducked her head instead and fidgeted with the fringing on one of the couch cushions. 

‘Uh, no. Not today.’

Peter nodded. ‘But, he - uh - he does stay over some nights? Your mother says he stays over now.’

Of _course_ they were having this conversation. 

Right before her big show too, when all she really wanted to do was go to bed.

Georgie coughed to cover choking on her own tongue. 

‘You and mom discuss my love life?’

Peter, who was looking mildly uncomfortable himself at this point, straightened his back. ‘Of course we do. I have a responsibility. You’re my daughter too, remember.’

‘Yeah Dad, I remember.’

He ignored this slight jab of sarcasm. ‘Georgie, you’re very young still and this — well from what your mother has told me, it seems to be very serious.’

Ah, so perhaps Lou hadn’t divulged all her secrets over the phone. Georgie looked up.

‘That’s because it is serious, Dad. We’re serious about each other. And I’m not too young to make my own choices or judgments.’

He looked slightly taken aback at this blunt answer. ‘Well, uhm, that’s good. Good to hear.’

‘Yeah,’ Georgie replied flatly. ‘It is. Good. For both of us.’

‘And you’re - err, you have, uhhm… That is, you are…’

The heat in Georgie’s cheeks immediately flared.

‘Dad, we really don’t need to do this. We really don’t. I promise you. There are plenty of people on the ranch I can talk to about this. Amy. Mom. Ty. People that I _have_ talked to.’

Peter looked somewhat relieved, but she also saw a flicker of what looked like hurt there. 

‘Well I’m your father and it’s important that I bring it up too. And it’s important that Quinn is respectful and kind and sensible and—’

He was cut off by Georgie spluttering again. ‘Dad! Please.’

Peter threw his hands up in defeat. ‘Okay, okay, I get it. You don’t want to talk to me about this. I understand. And I can’t tell you what to do - I mean, you’re 19 and you live alone now, anyway,’ he said, ‘Although why we agreed to let that happen, I don’t know.’

‘The ranch is way overcrowded. More so when you’re here, actually. Which I guess isn’t that often.’ Georgie replied, slightly more acidly than she intended. 

Peter blanched. There were a couple of seconds of painfully awkward silence. 

’Right, well. I should let you get to bed before tomorrow.’

‘Yeah,’ Georgie replied monotonously. She had a feeling that the conversation couldn’t really have gone much worse. But it was so hard to talk to Peter sometimes when he was never really around. Not full time anyway. 

‘I’ll see you in the morning, honey.’

‘Night, Dad.’

Peter stood and went to ruffle her hair, but he paused halfway and seemed to think better of it, lowering his hand. The aborted gesture didn’t go unnoticed. 

‘Night, honey.’

Georgie watched as he climbed back down the stairs and listened for the catch of the stable door shutting behind him. 

She exhaled and picked up her mug of tea. It was cold now, a slight film forming on top. She grimaced and dumped the liquid down the sink.

Georgie knew she should get changed. Brush her teeth. Try and settle herself again before sleeping, but instead she collapsed on her bed and stared blankly up at the wooden slats of the ceiling before she wiggled her phone out of her pocket.

Quinn picked up on the second ring.

‘Hey, baby. Everything okay?’

The greeting startled Georgie so much she didn’t immediately answer. Then she snorted. Immediately she felt lighter. ‘Since when have you called me baby?’

‘I’m trying it out. Do you like it?’

‘Not really, no. It’s kinda infantilizing.’

‘Ooh, big words.’ Quinn laughed. ‘But okay, noted - no ‘baby’, I get it. ‘Babe’ is okay though, right?’

‘Babe’s fine,’ she replied mildly.

‘I mean, they are basically the same word though….’

‘Quinn. No ‘baby’. It makes me cringe.’

‘Sugar? Sweetheart?’

Georgie snorted again. ’Nope.’

‘Darling? Honeybun?’

‘Ugh, no Pulp Fiction references, thank you.’

‘You’re so boring,’ Quinn pretended to whine. Georgie rolled her eyes.

‘If you’re finished….’

‘I guess so,’ Quinn laughed. ‘What’s up? Sorry, I got distracted. Can’t sleep?’

Georgie sighed and the audio down the phone crackled. ‘Dad flew in early.’

‘Oh right. He’s coming to the show tomorrow isn’t he?’

‘Yeah. But he wanted to say hi this evening, so he came up to the loft. Asked if you were there, like I was hiding you in the bathroom or under my duvet or something.’

‘Well, clearly I was not there. Disappointingly absent, to be honest.’

Georgie laughed despite herself. ‘He still wanted to talk about our relationship.’

‘Ah.’ There was a pause of understanding. ‘The good ole father-daughter talk, huh. How’d it go?’

‘Kindly badly, to be honest.’ 

‘Ah, Gee, I’m sorry.’

‘It’s whatever. Just awkward. I mean, these days it feels like he just turns up to stick his oar in and interfere you know?’ She reached up to tug her hair out of the ponytail that it’d been in all day, which was now beginning to give her a headache. Just what she needed. 

She let her phone rest on the bed beside her and switched it to speakerphone. Quinn’s voice floated out into the room.

‘He is away a lot,’ Quinn agreed diplomatically. Georgie heard him sigh. ‘I mean he’s trying, Georgie. Not in the ways you want him to, maybe. But I know a thing about shitty fathers and Peter’s still got some things going for him.’

‘It’s just totally thrown me off,’ she said to her ceiling. ‘right when I need to be relaxed.’

There was some rustling on the other end of the line and a jingle of metal. ‘You want me to come over? I’ve got my truck keys right here.’

Georgie rolled over on her stomach. ’That’s probably not a good idea. I really do need to sleep and it would look bad if I invited you over now after that talk with Dad.’

‘Right, yeah. Of course.’

‘Thanks for the offer, though.’

‘Can I do anything else?’

Georgie paused. ‘Can you stay on the line while I get ready for bed? And then maybe until I fall asleep?’

‘Sure, of course. What do you want me to talk about?’

‘Anything. I don’t mind.’

Quinn launched into a monologue about one of the cheeky kids he was coaching whilst she changed and brushed her teeth, stopping to giggle at his anecdotes in-between. When she was snuggled under the duvet she set the phone on the pillow beside her.

‘I’m gonna close my eyes. I’m in bed now.’

‘Me too,’ Quinn replied. Georgie could picture him on the fold-out couch, The thin, navy bedding. ‘You want me to keep going?’

‘No, it’s okay. But don’t hang up, okay?’

‘I won’t.’ 

There was the rustle of fabric, the cotton of his sheets, and then the unsteady burble of his breathing. Georgie listened for a while, then closed her eyes and drifted off. 

xxxx

When Georgie woke up the next morning to the blaring noise of her alarm, her phone was almost zapped of battery, and when she checked the call log she and Quinn were cut off somewhere around midnight, where Quinn must have finally hung up on her once she was sound asleep. 

She showered slowly and dressed carefully, making sure everything was in place, her hair neatly braided and hair-sprayed. She didn’t want to rush herself. When she stepped outside of the barn she was more than surprised to see Quinn’s car already parked out front.

She checked her phone and sure enough, she’d missed a text from him saying he was pulling up to the ranch. Why hadn’t he come straight up to the loft? This could not be good.

She pushed open the screen door and saw Quinn’s familiar form parked at the kitchen table with a mug of coffee in his hand. Peter was sat across from him, his face suspiciously blank. Lou was hovering between them, looking harried. Again, not a good sign.

‘Morning everyone,’ she announced. Quinn’s head whipped around and a wave of relief visibly washed over him. She widened her eyes at him, but he gave a minuscule shake of his head.

‘Georgie! Good morning! You look great!’

She blinked at his enthusiasm. ‘Thanks.’ She tugged on the sleeves of her blazer and then looked around at her parents again. 

‘Hi, Dad.’

‘Hi, honey,’ Petter answered immediately, only looking up from his paper momentarily. 

‘Morning, Mom.’

Lou beamed at her, suspiciously bright. 'Good morning, Georgie. Coffee? Cereal? Toast? What can I get you? You haven’t had breakfast yet, have you?’

‘Uh, no. Granola is fine,’ Georgie replied hesitantly. Instantly, Lou handed her the packet and a bowl. And she mouthed ‘sorry’ at the same time, with a quick glance to where Peter was now pretending to read the paper. 

Georgie raised her eyebrows sharply and mouthed back ‘what did you do?’, hopefully with enough unspoken urgency to be recognized. Lou, unfortunately, had already turned away. Georgie nearly groaned out loud. 

Crunching her way through her granola, Georgie attempted to catch Quinn’s eye again, but he seemed to be avoiding looking at her more than absolutely necessary. She had to ask him to pass the milk twice after he pretended not to hear her the first time, for goodness sake. 

When she was done Lou whipped her bowl away with startling efficiency. No complaints about washing up today, it seemed. ‘How are you feeling? Nervous?’

‘Uhm, a little I guess,’ she admitted. 

‘You shouldn’t be,’ came two answering voices in unison from across the table. Peter raised his eyes above his paper to glare at Quinn, as if to berate him for trying to out-support him, or something. Quinn looked immediately regretful. Georgie had enough. 

‘Quinn, will you give me a hand with the trailer?’

‘Uh,’ Georgie watched as Quinn began to push his chair away from the table and then actually hesitate, his eyelids flickering towards her father. Then, thankfully, she saw him straighten his shoulders and push himself fully to his feet. ‘Sure, of course.’ 

She noticed Peter pretended not to watch them both leave the house and Georgie waited until they’d both marched over to the barn again, Quinn trailing after her before she whirled around and demanded an explanation. 

‘Okay, spill.’

Quinn grimaced. ‘I’m sorry! I didn’t move fast enough. He caught me getting out of my truck this morning before I could make it to the loft. He practically ambushed me.’

‘Oh, geez,’ Georgie groaned. Quinn’s mouth twisted with displeasure. 

‘I barely had a chance to get by him. Then he invited me in for breakfast and I had to say yes otherwise he’d think I was going by the loft to solicit you for morning sex or something.’

‘We haven’t even had morning sex,’ Georgie scoffed.

‘Trust me, I know,’ Quinn reply flatly.

‘We’ve had sex once! That’s it!’ 

‘I know,’ repeated Quinn looking regretful. 

‘Ugh! I guess he thought our conversation from last night wasn’t finished.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘What’d he say to you, exactly?’

‘I think the general message was to absolutely, not ever or face-the-dire-consequences get you pregnant - or hurt you, in any way shape or form. Like I get it, I really do, but….’

‘I can’t believe he’s done this.’ Georgie shook her head, frustrated. ‘As if last night wasn’t enough.’

Quinn shoved his hands into his jeans pockets. ‘I thought me and your Dad were cool, too.’

‘That’s before he knew you were putting your dick in his daughter.’

It was a mark of the conversation that Quinn frowned at her rather than teased her for her salacious, if harsh, language. 

‘I guess father figures aren’t really my thing, huh?’ he attempted to joke. 

But Georgie watched as his eyes shuttered over and knew Quinn was hurt by the sudden withdrawal of Peter’s (albeit wary) friendship from before. 

She wanted to hold him, so she did, reaching up to cup his sharp jaw and sliding her other arm around his waist. Quinn’s eyes softened looking down at her before she reached up to kiss him, attempting to smooth the tense angle of his shoulders, his locked and ticking jaw. She felt him loosen up when she swept her tongue over his lips and then relax further when she slipped her tongue against his. She didn’t often take control of their kisses, she realized, but this time Quinn handed over the power, letting her do the work until she stirred a small moan from the back of his throat. She smiled and broke the kiss to find Quinn’s eyes glazed over, for a good reason this time. She stroked a thumb over his high cheekbone slowly, although her own heart was thumping underneath her blazer. 

‘What time’s your slot again?’ Quinn asked, his tone teasing again, Georgie was happy to hear. She giggled.

‘Unfortunately, pretty early on.’

‘Damn,’ Quinn pretended to be surprised. 

‘I know.’

They were both still grinning at each other when a small discreet and very fake cough interrupted them. Georgie swiveled to see Amy with Phoenix by the reins.

‘You want a hand with the trailer there? I think Phoenix is getting a bit impatient. He knows it’s show day.’

‘Uhm, sure, thanks, Amy.’

Amy just laughed in response and led Phoenix out of the barn to where the trailer was already hooked up to Georgie’s truck. 

‘C’mon, help Amy and I’ll put together a banging playlist for the drive down, alright? I’ll drive us.’

‘Not gonna make the trip in the backseat with my parents then?’

Quinn actually stuck out his tongue at her. She laughed. And then caught sight of Lou making a beeline for them both, her face drawn. 

‘You know, I think Lou might join us. I think she feels bad for accidentally setting Dad on you. I bet she tried to talk him out of it.’

‘You reckon?’

‘Yeah, she was trying to apologize over breakfast. Not very subtly either.’

‘You know your family can make it up to us by just leaving us alone for a bit,’ Quinn grunted, a rare show of irritation slipping past his front.

‘Tell me about it,’ agreed Georgie. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the day of the show and Quinn and Georgie escape together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Has everyone watched the Season 14 premiere? How about that time jump? Does that mean Quinn and Georgie have been together a year already? Their dialogue was great, though.
> 
> I'm sorry about the long delay, 2020 was a hellscape and 2021 is looking iffy, but this was good to write after watching the episode.

Once Phoenix was trailered up, Georgie slipped back into the Ranch, only to find Lou and Peter still in the kitchen, the tension in the air thick and heavy. They faced each other across the kitchen table, Peter’s face pulled into a frown, Lou mid-shrug, when the sound of the screen door clicking open made them both jump.

‘Uh, so Phoenix is all ready to go, so Quinn and I are gonna jump in the truck and get going I think. We’ll see you at the show?’

‘Oh, well. Honey I…’

Georgie didn’t give Lou a chance to finish her sentence before she turned on her heel and left again. The door clattered behind her. Georgie didn’t wait to see if anyone was following. Quinn was in the cab, his head bobbing along to something on the radio, hands tapping out a rhythm on the steering wheel. It made her smile automatically, and she hurried over to him, barely noticing Amy waiting by the cab door.

‘Georgie, hey,’ she called out, making her niece pull up short.

‘Oh hey. Thanks for helping with Phoenix.’

‘Not a problem. I just wanted to say – and I’m really sorry about this - I actually don’t think I can make it to the show today. Ty’s been called into the clinic again, and someone needs to look after this one,’ she motioned downwards to where Lyndy was hanging off Amy’s jacket, soft blonde curls smoothed into a ponytail, thumb in her mouth. Georgie’s heart softened.

‘That’s totally fine. But if I find myself alone with Mom and Dad now, you’re gonna owe me.’

Amy pulled a face. ‘Ugh, I heard them arguing last night after Peter got in. They’re still at it, huh?’

‘Oh yeah.’

‘Well, I’ll let you and Quinn head off then. Maybe Tim will keep them in line?’

‘We can but hope, I guess.’

Amy gave her a sympathetic smile again, and then patted her shoulder gently. ‘Don’t be nervous, Georgie. You got this. And take off the blazer in the car - otherwise it’ll get crumpled, yeah?’

‘Oh, right, of course.’

‘I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed.’

‘Thanks, Amy.’

She watched as Amy headed back to the barn, Lyndy toddling beside her, and then climbed into the cab. Quinn immediately moved to turn down the volume of the rock song playing tinnily through the speakers.

‘They not coming with us?’

‘No. Amy has to look after Lyndy and work. Ty’s busy.’

Quinn looked disappointed but nodded. ‘And, uh, are you parents driving with us?’ he added, in as a nonchalant tone as he could manage. Georgie giggled.

‘No, you’re safe, don’t worry. It’s just us.’

‘Oh, right. That’s kinda cool, I guess.’

‘It’s a couple of hours drive. Are you ready?’

‘Trapped in a car with you for a few hours? As I’ll ever be.’

Georgie snorted. ‘Just start driving, Quinn. If we leave now we might have time to stop for food or a coffee.’

‘Sounds perfect,’ Quinn said, throwing the truck into gear and starting to peel out of the drive, a grin on his face. ‘It’s gonna be a perfect day, Georgie, I can feel it in my bones.’

‘So you’re a fortune-teller now, are you?’

‘Nah,’ Quinn laughed, just as they passed through the Heartland Ranch gate. ‘I just got a good feeling.’

The road immediately after the ranch was long and wide, and Georgie let herself laugh and relax back into her seat. Quinn’s hand dropped from the wheel to slide over her thigh, squeezing gently.

‘Have I ever mentioned how hot you look in those white riding jodhpurs?’

‘You know what, funnily enough, you didn’t mention it over breakfast with my family there.’

Quinn grinned. ‘Hmmm, you know, I really should have. I’m truly sorry about that.’

Georgie giggled and pushed Quinn’s hand off her leg – not because she really wanted to, but because they were about to pull on to the main road. ‘And have I ever told you you’re the biggest flirt to ever exist, Quinn McGregor?’ He flashed her a grin. ‘C’mon, focus on the road.’

‘Yes ma’am,’ Quinn laughed.

Back at the ranch, Georgie wondered if Lou and Peter had made up enough to share the car. She decided she didn’t care and reached forward to crank up the radio. Yet again Quinn surprised her – he knew the song and began to sing along, cutting her glances every other word to make sure she was still entertained.

‘_Body like a back road, drivin' with my eyes closed, I know every curve like the back of my hand_,’ Quinn sang, his voice strong and clear and _good_. She loved his singing.

‘I thought you didn’t like country,’ Georgie said, trying to keep the smile out of her accusation. Quinn threw her a wink.

‘I think you’ll find this was a pop cross-over hit.’

‘You’re just as country as me, admit it.’

‘I admit nothing.’

Georgie rolled her eyes. ‘Just don’t actually close your eyes, please.’

He laughed. ‘Thanks for the safety tip, but that’s not the part of the song I’m taking instructions from.’

‘What the hell are you talking about?’

_‘The way she fit in them blue jeans, she don't need no belt, but I can turn them inside out, I don't need no help. Got hips like honey, so thick and so sweet,’ _Quinn sang in answer. 

Georgie felt her cheeks flush with heat and shook her head at him, cranking down the window beside her to avoid eye contact.

‘You’re a menace.’

‘But you love me,’ Quinn grinned.

‘Uh-huh, sure,’ she replied, but they both knew the answer was yes.

Xxx

Georgie could still hear the blare of the tannoy system announcing the later races. Inside the clubhouse the noise was muted, but the staccato rhythm of the audience’s applause filtered through the shouts and cheers. She should get changed, but instead she stared at the silver rosette she’d flung onto the sink counter and sighed.

Second place was respectable. It was fine. Commendable, even.

It wasn’t what she wanted.

She left the badge there and changed hastily back into normal clothes, pulling on jeans and an oversized sweater, shrinking into the heavy, soft cotton. She shoved her show clothes and the rosette into her duffle bag and shouldered open the bathroom door.

‘Hey, there you are.’

Quinn was leaning against the wall, straightening up when he saw her. ‘You ran off after the results.’

Georgie shrugged. ‘I was kinda over it.’

‘You did really well, Georgie.’

‘Obviously not, otherwise I would have placed first, wouldn’t I?’

Quinn frowned. ‘You know that’s not being fair on yourself. You’re coming back from a break. It’s expected.’

‘It’s _shit_,’ Georgie grumbled, glowering at him. Quinn sighed.

‘Okay, so your parents are outside. They want to know if you wanna go get coffee together.’

‘Not really.’

‘Yeah, that’s what I thought you’d say. C’mon.’ He held out his hand and Georgie stared at it, not understanding.

‘Come where?’

‘We’re gonna slip out the back way, and you’re gonna call your parents in a few minutes and say you just wanted some space and the evening off. Which will be true.’

She gave him a doubtful look. ‘Now? But they’re expecting me.’

‘I know,’ Quinn replied simply. ‘But they’ll get over it. As long as they don’t worry.’

‘And then what?’

He smiled softly at her. ‘I have some ideas.’

Xxxx

Georgie threw her phone into the back and let out a long deep breath.

‘They okay?’

‘Well they’re not best pleased but they’re okay with it, I guess. Lou's fine with taking Phoenix back, which is good. I think I have to ring her tomorrow morning and we have to be back at the Ranch by tomorrow evening at least.’

Quinn smiled, obviously pleased. ‘Amazing. See, your mom’s very cool.’

Georgie shrugged. ‘Well I’m sure coffee would have been excruciating, so I’m glad we’re doing this instead.’

‘Happy to be your back up any day, Georgie.’

She ignored him and leaned forward to kiss the only part of him she could really access when he was driving – his forearms. ‘Thank you,’ she whispered. She felt his muscles flex under her lips and drew back, smiling. Quinn’s eyes were lidded and hungry and she felt her toes curl in her trainers.

‘So where are we going? I’m assuming you have a plan.’

‘There’s supposed to be a nice hotel just down the road here. I thought we could stop there.’

Georgie glanced down at her sweatshirt and pulled a face. ‘I don’t have a change of clothes if you wanted to go out to eat.’

‘Good job room service is a thing then, isn’t it?’

‘You want to get a room?’ she squeaked, unable to contain her surprise.

‘Don’t you?’

‘Isn’t that going to be expensive? I assumed we’d just go back to your apartment.’

Quinn shrugged. ‘I’ve got savings. Don’t worry about it.’

‘Oh my god,’ she muttered under her breath. Renting a hotel room felt incredibly adult for some reason, and it sent a frisson of excitement down her spine.

‘If you’re sure…’

‘Oh, I’m sure,’ Quinn answered readily. He swung the truck down a left turn. ‘We’ll be there in about twenty minutes.’

‘Can you drive any faster, please?’

Quinn’s smirk tipped up into a grin. ‘Patience, young grasshopper.’

Feeling brave, Georgie reached out her hand across the console and mirrored what Quinn often did to her, resting her hand on his thigh, feeling the heat of his skin through the thick denim. He let out a small hiss.

She felt him press on the gas just a little harder. She laughed.

Xxx

‘If you just follow me, right this way…’

She and Quinn followed the hotel assistant along a plush, obviously tastefully decorated corridor and Georgie wondered again how much this place cost. It was much the fanciest building she’d ever been in, and when Quinn had pulled up outside the grand frontage she’d been sure he’d been joking and almost refused to get out of the cab. But he’d persuaded her, and now here they were. She hadn’t heard the price per night, only noticed that Quinn had whipped out a sleek credit card she didn’t even know he owned and slid it across the front desk towards the clerk.

She watched his back now, the denim of his jacket (she should rib him for his Canadian tuxedo) looking as out of place as her own outfit did. She spotted a few more guests, all dressed in formal shirts and classy dresses. Besides, they were adults, and she and Quinn were clearly still kids in comparison.

The member of staff, bless them, clearly didn’t let it bother them, and showed them politely to the door at the end of the corridor.

‘Your room is just here. Do phone down to reception if there is anything you require.’

‘Thank you. I take it there’s a room service menu?’ Quinn asked, whilst Georgie stood at his side, feeling awkward.

‘Of course, the menu should be on the sideboard inside,’ they said, as they pushed open the door to the room.

It was huge. Georgie blinked.

‘Excellent,’ she heard Quinn saying. ‘Thank you.’

He tipped the worker, the door closed, and then they were alone. They didn’t even have any luggage, other than Georgie’s small duffle bag. She dropped it to the floor and turned towards him, sweeping out her arms.

‘Are you kidding me? _This_ is our room?’

The bed had to be king size at least. It was also one of those hotel rooms big enough to have a whole separate lounge area, and she could see a big bathroom with a huge rain shower and freestanding bath just off to the side. The big window looked down onto the street a few floors below but was hung with thick heavy drapes.

‘I have some savings,’ Quinn shrugged. Georgie stared at him, eyes narrowed. He shifted on the spot.

‘…. Also, I may have used the credit card attached to my Dad’s name. But it’s whatever, really. He deserves it. And I _will_ be able to pay it back before he even realizes. C’mon Georgie – he’s an Olympian with his own stables and horse business. Did you think our family was hard up?’

‘…. I guess I didn’t really think about it,’ she admitted.

‘Well, don’t feel bad taking his money, especially after he treated you on the phone. It’s fine, really.’

‘Quinn, I don’t know…..’ Georgie began, turning to take in the room again, ‘I’m not sure I---‘

Quinn’s hands snuck around her middle from behind, tugging her gently backward towards his chest. She felt his lips on her neck, nudging her loose hair out of the way.

‘Shhh,’ he said softly. ‘Stop thinking so hard and let us have this. It’s all good.’

The feeling of the kisses on the sensitive skin below her ear made her squirm and she let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding.

‘Okay. Fine,’ she relented. Quinn _did_ say he was going to pay it back anyway. Besides, she’d be a fool to give this up. And a tiny part of her _did_ admittedly feel a little gleeful after Quinn’s Dad had so obviously disapproved of her over the phone.

‘Good,’ Quinn murmured, his hands moving from her middle to the hem of her sweatshirt. ‘Now please take this off, it’s in my way.’

Georgie giggled and dutifully pulled it over her head, much too warm already anyway. Underneath she was wearing the Lacrosse shirt Quinn had given her back at the cabin. Quinn’s hands stuttered and he spun her around in his arms, dropping the sweatshirt to the floor to join her bag.

‘You’re wearing my shirt.’

‘It’s comfy,’ Georgie shrugged, smiling.

‘You did this on purpose,’ he groaned, sliding his hands up under the cotton against her warm skin. She shivered anyway.

‘As if I knew what you were planning. I thought I was just in for a long car trip.’

Quinn ignored her and leaned down to kiss her, hard at first, but then melting into softness and little gasps of breaths shared between them.

Eventually, Georgie pulled away, pushing on his chest.

‘You know we don’t even have any stuff – toothbrushes or nightclothes.’

‘Toothbrushes I’m sure the hotel can provide. And you know, I don’t think we’ll be needing nightclothes.’

She let out a mock-scandalized gasp and punched him lightly in the arm. Quinn snickered and leaned back to kiss her again, starting by pushing the neck of the too big t-shirt down to reach the soft skin above her collarbone.

‘And if you’re worried about anything else, I keep protection in my wallet,’ he whispered. Georgie could hear the smile behind it. She went to punch him again but was stopped by a gentle nip to her skin that made her gasp.

‘Now, now,’ Quinn laughed.

‘I’m going to kill you,’ Georgie choked out, not able to keep herself from laughing too.

‘I very much hope so,’ Quinn answered solemnly, before pulling her shirt over her head.

xxx

Later, when they’d devoured a room service dinner (hamburgers, the cheapest thing on the menu and where Georgie had drawn the line) they lay under the bedsheets together. Quinn’s arm wrapped around her to play with the ends of her hair, something she was quickly realizing was one of his favorite things to do.

She picked her cheek up from where she’d been laying on his chest and the movement made him look down.

‘What is it?’

‘This is pretty perfect,’ she said quietly – too quiet.

Quinn raised an eyebrow. ‘I’d agree, but you don’t seem that happy about it. What’s on your mind?’

He could always tell me when something was up. She sighed.

‘Sometimes I feel like I don’t know anything about you.’

Quinn frowned and pushed himself to sit up against the velvet headboard. Georgie pulled herself up beside him.

‘What do you mean?’ he paused, obviously nonplussed. ‘Of course you do. I’ve told you about my family, about America.’

‘But I don’t even know your friends’ names.’

Quinn let out a confused bark of laughter. ‘Okay. Evan. James. Benji. Martyn. Rachel. Shannon. Isobel….’

She stiffened at the girls’ names – she couldn’t help it. Quinn glanced back down at her, the frown on his face relaxing into recognition.

‘Ah, I see. We’ve arrived at this conversation, have we?’

‘No, no forget I said anything,’ Georgie started, but Quinn slid an arm around her and pulled her over him, the bedsheet sliding out from between their bodies until they were skin to skin. She felt vulnerable. Not in her body, but waiting for his answer. She’d wanted to ask, and now she wasn’t sure she really wanted the answer.

‘I mean; you’ve mentioned girlfriends before. Obviously, you’ve dated. You’re older than me.’

‘Ah yes, by two years. Practically your ancient elder.’

‘_Quinn_.’

‘It’s not as if you haven’t had boyfriends Georgie – and I’ve met them.’

‘Yeah, but Wyatt and Adam are different. I never slept with any of them.’

Quinn’s head tilted to the side. ‘You don’t have to sleep with someone to love them.’

‘Well, obviously I love them. They’re my buddies. But I wasn’t in love with them. Or at least I know I wasn’t now. They’re my friends. That’s all.’

‘Ah, so I can’t say the same about my friends?’ Quinn asked with a slight smile playing in the corner of his mouth.

‘So you did date Rachel!’

‘Who said it was Rachel?’

‘Quinn!’ Georgie sighed, exasperated with his playful attitude. She appreciated it most of the time, but not now. Embarrassingly she felt tears begin to sting. Quinn pushed up to kiss her, his tongue slipping past hers, and they rolled until they were facing each other in bed, heads on the pillow. Quinn backed away slowly.

‘I don’t know what you want me to say, Georgie. You want my whole dating history?’

Georgie shrugged, trying to look nonchalant. ‘Well, you know mine. It’s only fair.’

He sighed. ‘Okay. Alright, strap in, then.’

Georgie looked at him, horrified. ‘Strap in? How many girls have you been with?’

Quinn laughed. ‘Sorry, that was misjudged of me. Let me start again. Do you want to know about my first girlfriend?’

Georgie nodded jerkily.

‘Well, her name was Sarah Louise and we held hands twice in Eighth grade. Our relationship lasted two weeks before she refused to kiss me and we broke up by passing notes in math.’ He sighed dramatically. ‘My first heartbreak.’

‘Quinn, I will get up and leave this bed, I swear.’

‘Sorry, couldn’t resist.’ He sighed again, but this time it was genuine and he rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling.

‘My first girlfriend was actually Shannon. We were both 16. She’s the daughter of one of my Dad’s business friends, so she was always around – family holidays and stuff. I liked her – she was funny, but she never cared about horses, so my Dad disapproved, which helped. I don’t know if it was because we were always thrown together, or something else. And before you ask, yeah we slept together a few times. I was young and my hormones were out of control, okay? I still see her sometimes if I’m back at home and we get dragged to the same fixtures. She’s cool.’

He turned his head to look at her. ‘I should tell you that Shannon is currently very happy with her girlfriend.’

‘_Oh_.’

‘Can I move on?’

Georgie nodded again.

‘Shannon and I broke up when I was 17 – we strung it along for a bit. Then there was Amira. She went to my High School and we dated towards the end of senior year. We broke up before college – she went to Duke, pre-law. She’s probably in Law School now actually.’ He shrugged.

‘You don’t still talk to her?’ Georgie asked softly.

‘No. We lost touch. Some people do that when they get to college I guess. Fresh start. Besides, her parents didn’t really love me, so it’s not like I got updates through them.’

‘They didn’t like you?’ Georgie asked sharply.

‘Hard to believe huh?’ he grinned at her. ‘But nah, it was more that they didn’t really like the idea of Amira dating anyone. And they were confused by the horse jumping. So was Amira, really. She was focused on her GPA.’

‘She must have been smart, though.’

‘Much smarter than me.’

‘You’re smart!’

‘I’m not _Law School_ smart.’

‘Well, you could be!’

Quinn chuckled. ‘I appreciate your faith in me, but I’m pretty happy where I am right now, honestly. Did you want to hear more?’

Georgie winced but motioned for him to continue.

‘After Amira there were a few girls at parties – I was young and kinda heartbroken, okay? I didn’t sleep with all of them, but you know…’

‘I don’t need the details,’ Georgie said firmly, and Quinn swallowed and looked like he was grateful.

‘Okay, and then there was Rachel. Yes, alright, I did date Rachel. It was for a few months when I was around 19.’

He sighed, and Georgie wondered if he’d continue talking.

‘Where did you meet her?’

‘We had the same coach.’

Georgie stiffened.

‘I knew you weren’t going to like that. It got too weird anyway, even if we weren’t competing in the same things, it always kind of felt like we were. We broke up when we realized we just kept arguing over it or feeling cagey around each other.’

‘Is she still competing?’

‘No. She got thrown about a year and a bit back and her leg didn’t recover. Or so she says.’

‘So she says? You think she was lying?’

‘I don’t know. I think she was really good and then got into her head about it.’ He looked down at her. ‘You’d understand about that. Anyway, we stayed friends for ages after that, but when I went to Europe again she found it difficult, I think.’

‘And then you met me,’ Georgie breathed. Quinn nodded.

‘Sure did. And I can honestly say I’ve never felt like that about anyone the first time I saw them, Georgie. You were so cute but so beautiful and then I saw you _ride_.’ He twisted towards her again, grinning. ‘I didn’t stand a chance.’

‘And then I messed you around and you moved across countries to chase me.’

‘Sounds a bit insane when you put it like that, doesn’t it?’

‘Little bit. I’m glad you did, though.’

‘Me too.’ He paused. ‘You alright? Now you know everything, everyone I’ve been with. Do you feel better?’

Georgie burrowed down into the sheet and let out a breath. ‘Sort of. It’s not like I feel comfortable, but I feel like I know you a bit better, which is nice. _Good_.’

They were close enough that Georgie could feel Quinn’s breath mingling with hers.

‘I’m wild about you Georgie. Only you.’

‘Yeah?’

‘Oh, yeah. Big time.’

He snaked a hand over her hip around to the small of her back and dragged her forwards. How had she managed to forget the entire time that they were talking that there was only a thin sheet between them? Now there wasn’t even that, and Quinn planted his mouth firmly on hers, whilst his hand wandered down to her thigh, pulling her leg over his. She moaned a little into the kiss.

‘I love you,’ Quinn whispered, breaking off to look at her steadily.

Georgie felt very _unsteady_, blinking into the bright pale blue of his eyes.

‘I love you, too.’


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More continued adventures of our favourite couple, feat. a bath. Yup.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another update! Enjoy. Also, can we walk about the whole 'Oh, no conflict here. Just a whole lot of interest' dialogue between them in 14x1?! Such flirtation! An exchange I hope that would fit right in with this fic.

The room was dark. The bedsheet was screwed up halfway down the bed, flung off during the night and Quinn was stretched out next to her, an arm looped loosely around her waist, his even breath stirring her hair from where she was tucked under him.

On the bedside table, her phone was vibrating with an incoming call. Georgie rolled reluctantly towards it, feeling Quinn stir beside her at the movement, and swiped the screen.

‘Georgie!’

‘Good morning, Mom.’

‘I’ve called you once already.’

‘I just woke up, I’m sorry.’

She heard Lou take a steadying breath on the other end of the line. ‘I was worried.’

‘I told you I’d ring you in the morning – you’ve got to actually give me a chance to do that.’

‘I’m sorry – it’s just, your father was getting at me. I don’t even know where you are. Are you at Quinn’s?’

Georgie glanced at the massive bed she was currently sat in and swallowed.

‘Uh, actually we’re at The Fairview.’

‘The Fairview? Not the hotel in town from yesterday?’

‘Uh, yeah. We drove over, since we’ve both taken the weekend off work.’

There was a stunned silence. ‘Georgie, do you _know_ how expensive that place is? You and Quinn got a room?’

‘Uh…yeah, I sorta guessed. Quinn’s paying,’ she added quickly. ‘Don’t tell Dad.’

‘Oh I absolutely will not be telling your father that you and Quinn got a room in an expensive hotel room overnight. No way. But I mean --- _wow_, Georgie.’

‘Yeah,’ Georgie sighed. ‘I know.’

‘Will you text me when you’re setting off for home? So I know when to expect you? I’ll try and stall Peter until then.’

‘Sure, of course.’

‘Alright, honey.’ She could practically see Lou biting her lip. ‘Just tell me you were safe.’

‘Mom!’

‘_Georgie_!’

‘Yes, of course!’

‘Alright, alright,’ Lou breezed. ‘Good, I’ll text you later, okay? Bye, love.’

‘Bye, Mom,’ Georgie mumbled before hanging up.

When she put down her phone, Quinn was propped up on one elbow, smiling at her tense expression.

‘How’s Lou?’

‘Stressed,’ Georgie groaned. ‘And now so am I,’

‘Well, that’s settled it, then. Bubble bath time.’

‘What,’ Georgie spluttered.

‘You expect us to stay in this room and not take advantage of this beautiful bathroom? No way.’

Quinn eased himself out of bed and grabbed a towel for his waist, before heading towards the huge tub. She watched him walk away, noting the angular sweep of his hip, the hard outline of his arm muscles. _This_ was something she could get used to.

‘I’m not really a massive fan of baths,' she admitted. 

‘Neither am I usually, but I think if there’s a time for it, it’s now,' he called over his shoulder, already with his mind made up, obviously.

He started the taps, and instantly a powerful jet of steaming hot water began to fill it up. Georgie’s body was achy after the competition (and their activities) and she admitted that maybe a bath wouldn’t be the worst thing. She reached for one of the hotel robes and pulled it on.

‘Is there coffee?’ she asked hopefully.

‘I can ring for it, if you keep an eye on the bath?’

‘Sure.’

Quinn went for the phone and rang through their breakfast orders. The bath was so powerful that by the time he was back it was already halfway full. She watched as he assessed the range of fancy, tiny bottles of products in the little hamper provided, inspecting their tiny labels.

‘Do you think it matters what I put in? Like shampoo, or whatever?’

Leaning up against the doorjamb, Georgie laughed. ‘Probably not?’

‘Awesome.’ She watched as Quinn proceeded to dump most of the contents of the tiny bottles into the water and swirls of bubbles started to form.

There was a knock on the door and Georgie accepted the tray held out to her, balancing cups of hot coffee and flaky pastries and tall glasses of orange juice.

She carried them back into the room whilst Quinn turned off the taps, looking pleased with himself. The bubbles in the bath were almost comical, way too much, cartoonish in their volume.

‘I think you went overboard on the bubbles….’

Quinn's hands settled on his hips. ‘I think _you’re_ going overboard if you insult my bath drawing skills, Georgie.’

‘Oh really?’

‘_Really_. C’mon then, get in.’

‘Are you not… like, joining me?’ Georgie said hesitantly, her fingers settling on the robe tie, suddenly shy. Somehow she hadn’t undressed like this in front of Quinn before – stripping down. Her clothes usually came off in bits and pieces, peeled off and abandoned.

Quinn’s eyes flashed with interest, a brief hunger, but he shook his head. ‘No, this is just for you.’

‘Uh, alright….’

Georgie loosened the tie and let the robe fall off her shoulders before it pooled at her feet. Quinn’s eyes flared with appreciation, but he kept his hands to himself - other than letting her use his shoulder to steady herself as she stepped in.

She sank into the water – the tub was certainly deep – the heat seeping immediately into her bones. The water came right up her shoulders, and she was completely submerged everywhere else.

Quinn began to laugh.

She looked up at him, still stood by the side of the tub, and glowered. She was under the impression that this was supposed to be… sexy, or something. Bathtub scenes were always sexy in the movies, right?

Quin attempted to straighten his face but failed. ‘Sorry! Sorry…. It’s just - you look so tiny. And the bubbles are so big! I can’t help it! It’s funny…’

‘I knew you overdid the bubbles,’ she grumbled, swiping them away from her face. Quinn appeared with a mug of coffee and an apologetic look on his face. She took the coffee from him, careful not to let it slip in her wet palms. It felt weird sipping the hot drink in the bath, but a good type of weird, somehow. Freeing. Quinn clutched his own mug of coffee and sank down to the floor, sitting with his back to the bath. The arm not holding the coffee, he let dangle in the water, his thumb tracing a pattern over her ankle under the thick layer of bubbles.

‘Good?’ he asked.

‘Yeah,’ Georgie said. ‘Now I can see over the bubbles, that is.’

‘Har-har,’ Quinn deadpanned. He stopped the slow trail of his fingers on her skin as punishment and she shuffled in the water in protest, making the water lap at the sides of the tub. Quinn smirked.

‘Sure you don’t want to join me?’ she asked, trying to keep any trace of whine out of her voice.

‘I’m good down here.’

‘Spoilsport.’

‘Wouldn’t want to flood the bathroom. I’m sure my Dad _would_ notice that charge on his card.’

Georgie tried not to choke on her mouthful of coffee whilst Quinn grinned at her.

It was clear Quinn really did mean to let her enjoy the bath on her own though, so she set her coffee down and let her eyes slip close. She was warm and relaxed and Quinn’s gentle touch, just the brush of his fingers, made her feel loved somehow. For a few minutes, a comfortable silence stretched between them.

‘Georgie, can I ask you a question?’

‘Hmmm?’ she answered lazily, swirling her fingers in the warm water.

‘Can you tell me about your parents?’

Georgie stiffened and her eyes fluttered open. She knew Quinn didn’t mean Lou and Peter.

‘I don’t really remember them,’ she said in a small voice. ‘I’m not sure I have much to tell you.’

‘Not at all?’ Quinn's voice was soft, gently probing, testing her jagged edges. 

‘A few flashes, I guess. I was three, so a lot of its blurry. Just, like, their faces and colors and stuff. Real little kid stuff.’

‘You were in foster care, right?’ 

‘For a couple of years, yeah. Until I was 10 and I landed at Heartland.’

‘You never talk about it,’ Quinn replied quietly.

‘Why would I? I can’t remember a whole lot of it either, to be honest. I moved through a few different families. They usually fostered a lot of kids together. I remember it was manic.’

It was stupid and so long ago, but she could never talk about this stuff without tears threatening, stinging her eyes. ‘None of it mattered until Heartland anyway. Until I found riding and Lou.’

‘And Peter too.’

‘Yeah, well. I’m not Peter’s biggest fan right now.’

‘He loves you, he’s just not showing it in the best way, right now.’ She heard Quinn pause, but she was looking up at the ceiling, trying to keep her tears at bay, so she couldn’t see the expression on his face.

‘I wish I could have been with you then when you were younger. Been your friend.’

Georgie swallowed a burst of surprised laughter. ‘I think we would have been a bit young at that point, Quinn.’

Quinn gave a dry chuckle. ‘You know what I mean. I’m sorry you had such a rough time for a while there.’

‘I’m sorry your Dad is such a douche, I guess.’

‘We all have our burdens, right?’ 

‘It appears so.’

The gentle, reassuring touch on her ankle disappeared, and then Quinn was facing her, leaning over the side, a look of determination written across his face.

‘Come on, dunk your head so I can help wash your hair.’

‘What?’

‘Dunk your head,’ he repeated. ‘I know you must want to wash it after wearing the helmet yesterday. Let me help. There’s some shampoo left in this bottle.’

He reached for one of the non-empty tiny bottles they still had left. ‘See?’

“I mean, if you really want to….’

Georgie slipped under the water for a few seconds, letting her hair soak, before rising up. Quinn threaded the shampoo across her strands and massaged it into her scalp. It felt like getting your hair washed at the salon, but much _much _more enjoyable and she couldn’t help but let a sigh escape. Quinn laughed.

‘Is this is the part where I ask about your vacation plans?’

‘Shut up and keeping washing, please.’

‘Yes, Ma’am.’

He made sure he was thorough before he gently guided her to dunk her hair again to wash it all out. Then he grimaced.

‘I think I accidentally used up all the conditioner in the bath by mistake.’

Georgie laughed. ‘It’s fine, I’ll condition it when I get home. Thank you, Quinn. That was sort of lovely.’

‘I’m glad.’

He helped her to her feet in the bath, and there was a brief moment of panic Georgie worked hard to suppress when she realized she was stood in front of him, totally naked, the water running down her body, but it was only a fraction of a second before Quinn bundled her into a thick heavy towel.

‘No time for that! We have to get going and _that’_ he said, eying her with the accusation, ‘is not helping.’

Geogie threw back her head and laughed, pulling the towel around herself, and any awkwardness was forgotten. 

She felt languid and didn’t even mind changing into her old clothes from yesterday. Quinn emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later ‘after a quick cold shower’ in his clothes as well.

‘You ready? We can take the pastries to go, I reckon. I want to get you back so Peter doesn’t have my head.’

‘If we have to,’ she grumbled.

Quinn pressed a kiss to her still damp hairline. ‘’Afraid so, love. Let’s get this show on the road.’

Xxx

Maggie’s was bustling this lunchtime, and Georgie was glad she wasn’t waitressing anymore. The young server looked to be deep in the weeds, trying to deal with a sudden influx of tourists that had appeared out of nowhere. She and Jade were tucked into a booth as far away from the bar as possible, and still Jade had to raise her voice a little to be heard.

‘And what did your Dad say when you got back?’

‘Nothing, actually,’ Georgie said with a smile. ‘By that time I think Mom had won the argument. I was surprised, I admit.’

Jade looked impressed. ‘Go Lou! Do you know what she said to convince him?’

‘I think it helped that Quinn always makes sure they know what we’re doing or, like, tells me to check in with them. I think Lou made a point of saying that she trusted Quinn and she’d never had a reason not to. Which is pretty great.’

‘Does he know about the hotel?’ Jade gasped.

‘Hah. No. Like, it was fine and Quinn got me home super early, but I think Mom was worried it would give the wrong impression anyway. We were doing so well. Dad shook his hand and everything and we all had dinner together that evening. It was almost civilized.’

Jade nodded. ‘Probably wise. But I still can’t believe you got a night at the Fairview! I’d die if my boyfriend took me on a date there.’

“I wasn’t really a date,’ Georgie said, her face flushing. ‘We don’t really do those, I guess.’

‘Mmmh, I _bet_ you don’t. Straight to the main meal, yeah?’

‘I’m not going to dignify that with an answer,’ Georgie sniffed, struggling not to laugh.

‘Oh, I’m sure.’

‘Besides,’ Georgie continued, ‘dates sorta feel unnecessary. We were together all of Europe and we’ve spent this whole summer working together. We see each other almost every day.’

‘And you’re not like… bored?’

Georgie shrugged, smiling. ‘Not at all.’

‘Oooh, you’ve got it bad, girl. It’s actually quite sickening. Maybe _I_ need a doctor too.’

‘Because I’m lovesick?’ Georgie said with an eye roll.

‘Except you’re not even sick…. You’re just, like, love-content. It’s _worse_. Where’d you get him? Do you reckon I have to order from American Amazon to get my own American boyfriend, or what?’

They both burst into giggles, loud enough in the restaurant that they even broke through the general noise and attracted a few annoyed looks, but Georgie didn’t mind. Not at all.

Xxx

‘Here.’

Quinn looked at the bag Georgie was holding out to him and reached for it slowly, confusion written across his face.

‘Uhm, you know it’s not my birthday, right?’

‘I know. Just take it, Quinn.’

Quinn set aside the coffee mug he was cradling and reached for the bag with both hands.

‘I couldn’t wrap it,’ she blurted, just before Quinn stuck his hand in.

‘Alright,’ he shrugged, still looking confused before he pulled out the tissue paper stuffed into the top. Then he broke out into a grin, rolling his eyes.

‘You _didn’t_.’

‘Oh, but I did.’

The Stetson Quinn pulled out of the bag was thick black felt, wrapped with a twisted black leather band. It was smart and stiff and Quinn held it in his hands with an amused wariness on his face.

‘Ah, I’m not sure I’m much of a hat guy, Georgie.’

‘It’s a rite of passage. You’re one of us now. It’s obligatory.’

‘You don’t wear one,’ he pointed out.

‘Not so much these days, but I _do_ own a few, and I wear one on trail rides sometimes. We can be hat buddies if that’s what you’re worried about.’

‘We don’t do this back in Florida,’ he continued protesting weakly.

‘I know you don’t,’ Georgie giggled. ‘That’s what makes this funny. Come on country boy, put it on. You can’t sing me country songs and not look the part.’

‘It was two songs,’ Quinn groaned.

‘Whatever. You’re part of the Ranch now. You got a handshake from Dad to prove it and everything. Come on.’

Quinn groaned until Georgie lost her patience and swiped the hat from his hands and reached up on her tiptoes to jam it on his head.

‘There,’ she laughed.

Quinn adjusted it reluctantly. ‘Well, how do I look?’

‘Like a born and bred Alberta boy, for sure,’ Georgie laughed.

‘Oh really?’

‘Uh-huh.’

‘And is that working for you?’ He struck an exaggerated cowboy pose, hand grabbing on to his belt buckle, and Georgie slipped into a peal of laughter.

‘Well, it was before that.’

‘Yeah? And can people kiss in these? Because it feels like if I get near to you it’s just gonna get knocked off. How do people do anything with these wide brims?’

‘I think it’s to do with the angles,’ Georgie wheezed.

‘I think I’ve gotta try it out,’ Quinn said, bending down to slot his mouth over hers. They were both smiling too hard for the kiss to last very long and when they broke off, sure enough, Quinn’s hat was sitting wonky. He straightened it up with a faked grimace.

‘Maybe we’ll have to practice that, huh?’

‘If you say so, partner.’

Quinn picked up his coffee again and looked out the barn window out onto the yard. It was early, and Quinn had to be back in time for coaching, whereas Lisa had actually given Georgie the day off.

‘Got any plans for the day then?’

‘Not really. I don’t really know what to do with myself. Amy’s said there’s nothing to do around here. I should go into town and get college supplies, I guess. Stationary, or whatever.’

‘Stationary or whatever,’ Quinn repeated dryly. ‘You sound so invested.’

‘I am! Excuse me if I don’t get excited over notebooks!’

Quinn took a gulp of coffee to hide his smile, but then seemed to sober. ‘Not long now huh?’

‘T minus a week and a half. It’s gone so quickly,’ Georgie replied quietly, sucking in a breath.

‘It’s gonna be different.’

‘Yeah.’

‘But it’s gonna be okay.’ Quinn added firmly. Georgie didn't know if he was trying to convince her or himself. 

‘Yeah, of course. It’s just…. I’ve liked this summer. It’s been so good,’ she sighed. 

‘Best summer of my life,’ Quinn said simply and Georgie nodded.

‘I don’t want things to change.’

‘They won’t, I promise.’

Quinn wrapped his arm around her shoulders and squeezed her to his side gently, both of them watching the morning steadily roll in over the plains, the light getting stronger. He groaned.

‘Listen, I’ve got to run otherwise I’ll be late. I’ve got to go back to my apartment first to change and grab some paperwork. Shall I come by here after work?’

‘Yeah, of course.’

‘Alright.’ He went to kiss her again, remembered the hat, and then tugged it off, before kissing her quickly.

‘_Don’t_ lose it, Quinn. No ‘accidentally’ leaving it somewhere, okay?’ she warned him, keeping a clasp on his jacket, exaggerated in her sternness.

‘I wouldn’t dare,’ Quinn said very seriously, slowly extracting her fingers, hiding his smile. ‘Alright, I’ve got to go. I love you. Bye.’

He headed for the stairs and Georgie watched through the window as he strode out across the yard, over to his parked up truck. She honestly didn’t expect him to, but he slotted the hat back on before he clambered into the truck. And that set Georgie up for smiling for the rest of the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Acts of service and physical touch, baby! In my head, these two share physical touch as a love language and Quinn's definitely an 'acts of service' kinda guy *gestures to him moving countries* - but I think Georgie's other one would be quality time. Or gift giving! These are the things I think about whilst writing fic.......


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another Jade cameo!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk how much you guys care, but this chapter is probably the most mature I've posted, I think. Still not explicit, but a little more graphic than previous - so be warned if that's not your thing. It's a slightly shorter chapter, but I hope you enjoy.

‘You know, between the two of you, you have _way_ too many dimples. Dimples for days. It’s unfair to the rest of us. You gotta share them around.’

Georgie and Quinn were sprawled on the couch up in the Loft, Jade lounging in the opposite armchair. Georgie ignored the way Jade kicked up her crossed legs onto the coffee table and rolled her eyes at her friend instead. It was a Friday night and Quinn had managed to wrangle another morning off, as had she. Georgie suspected that Lisa was taking pity and trying to give them as much time together as possible before college kicked in and things got crazy busy, which was _much_ appreciated.

‘Sorry, I’m not donating my face to science,’ Quinn said, picking up his beer to save it from Jade’s black boots. ‘I’m keeping the dimples. They’re my redeeming feature.’

Georgie snorted and Quinn turned towards her, his smile playful. ‘Oh? Do you have anything to add about my redeeming qualities, Georgie?’

‘I couldn’t possibly comment on any of your qualities, redeeming or otherwise,’ she laughed. ‘Only because I think I’m a bit biased, after all.’ Quinn’s pale eyes twinkled at her. He’d obviously expected some banter, and was pleased and surprised by the compliment instead. She smiled back at him.

They were interrupted by Jade making a fake retching noise. ‘Get a room guys,’ she laughed.

‘We have one – you’re currently in it,’ Quinn deadpanned back before Georgie could get there first. Jade just shook her hair over her shoulder and tutted at them both.

‘I’m being serious though – any kid of yours would be, like, genetically blessed in the dimple department. The power would be too much, it’d go to their head. Dangerous.’

‘The power to dazzle grandmas everywhere? Because that’s what I do with mine mostly. Evil, I know.’

‘Grandmas and I have that in common,’ Georgie added, mostly just to see the disgusted look on Jade’s face again. It was fun, being happy. Who knew.

‘Gross. It’s like you’re trying to drive me out of here.’

‘We-ell….’ Georgie started slowly, glancing pointedly at the clock on the mantle, mostly joking but also not really.

‘Oh, I see how it is,’ Jade scoffed, but she was smiling, rolling her eyes good-naturedly. She pushed herself to her feet.

‘No, no, sit down, I’m sorry, I wasn’t serious, I didn’t actually mean it.’

Jade drained the last dregs of her own drink (she and Georgie had been nursing a coke most of the night) and waved off her protests.

‘It’s fine, it’s fine. Quinn do _you_ want me to stay?’

From the couch, Quinn lifted one shoulder in a shrug, obviously trying to bite down on a smile. Jade motioned to Georgie.

‘See, at least your boyfriend has the grace not to lie to my face. It’s fine, let it not be said that I don’t know when to take a hint. I’ll leave you two to the rest of your evening.’

‘Are you sure-’ Georgie started, clambering to her feet, but Jade cut her off.

‘Serious. Look, make sure you give me a text before you disappear off to Calgary, yeah?’

‘Yeah, of course,’ Georgie said earnestly. ‘We can get coffee or go for a ride?’

‘Both would be great,’ Jade said with a smile. Then she pulled out her car keys and swung the around a little, smirking. ‘Alright, alright, I’ll see you soon.’

‘Text me when you get home,’ Georgie called as Jade began to descend down the stairs.

‘You know it,’ came back the answer and Georgie collapsed back onto the sofa, satisfied. Quinn turned towards her and buried his face into her neck, stifling his suppressed laughter - Georgie could feel his body shaking. She shoved him off her, trying to clamp down on her own giggles.

‘Quinn! You ran my friend out of here.’

‘I think we share equal blame here, Georgie.’

‘You didn’t tell her to stay!’

‘I didn’t tell her to go either, and Jade said she appreciated my honesty. It’s fine!’

‘Buuuut I feel bad,’ she groaned, throwing herself across his lap now. Quinn laughed, bringing up a hand to pet her hair. 

‘It’s 9:30 babe, not that early. A perfectly respectable time to bring an evening to a close.’

Georgie’s answer was muffled in Quinn’s shirt, until she felt Quinn pulling her up off him, adjusting her so she’s curled on his chest instead. 

‘I honestly didn’t think we’d get time to ourselves until, like, 11 pm, and as much as I like Jade, I would rather spend time with my girlfriend before she abandons me for college.’

‘I’m not actually leaving,’ Georgie mumbled. ‘I’ll be like, an hour away during the day.’

‘Shhh,’ Quinn said, speaking over her head and smoothing down her hair purposefully over her face, ‘let me be dramatic about this.’

Georgie batted away his hand and the hair in her mouth and struggled back up into a sitting position.

‘I’ll be back here as much as possible; you know that right?’

Quinn sighed, his teasing fading away. ‘Don’t promise me that Georgie. I don’t want you missing out on anything because you’re focused on making it back to spend time with me. You have to take advantage of everything you can, alright?’

‘You sound like my Mom. Again.’

‘That’s when I know I’m saying the right thing,’ Quinn said with a small smile.

Georgie could feel her bottom lip beginning to jut out, which was silly, she knew. Quinn was being mature and considerate – it’s just…. Right now, if she wasn’t in class, she wanted to be either on a horse or around Quinn. She was going to miss him, which was silly because neither of them was _leaving_, but…

‘’Ah, ah—Georgie, it’s going to be fine,’ he said, reaching out to slide a hand into her hair to cup her cheek.

‘I know, I know,’ she said, swiping at her (still thankfully dry) eyes, just in case her tear ducts betrayed her. ‘It just… sucks. Why do I even need college?’

‘Nope, we’re not having that conversation again. I thought we were good with that one, huh?’

She sniffed. ‘No, no, we are, it’s just…’

‘Change is hard?’

‘Yeah,’ she answered softly. ‘Exactly.’

‘Yeah,’ Quinn breathed back. ‘Yeah, but change is good, sometimes. It’s a process. That’s what my Mom always said to me. You grow from it – but it hurts at first, is what she told me. I’ve always found it true.’

Georgie sighed. ‘I really want to meet your Mom.’

‘I know she really wants to meet you,’ Quinn smiled at her, tipping up her chin. ‘Now can we enjoy the alone time that Jade so graciously gifted us, please?’

‘Alright.’

Quinn leaned in to kiss her, pulling her more firmly into his lap, guiding her by her hips until she was straddling him, her thin black jersey leggings against the coarse material of his chinos.

She pulled back to look at him. Quinn’s hair was longer than at the beginning of the summer, long on top now and developing a curl. She combed through it with her fingers, pulling gently at the ends at the nape of his neck. Quinn’s eyes crinkled, like a cat enjoying the fuss. She laughed.

‘You know if you’re not careful you’re gonna be sporting a serious case of hockey hair,’ she giggled.

Quinn raised his eyebrows. ‘Hockey hair? Is that a thing?’

Georgie reared backward almost instantly. ‘Do they not have hockey back in your part of Florida or something?’

‘Uh, ice hockey? I think so – the Panthers? And the team from Tampa Bay, I think? Probably.’

Georgie shook her head – he’d missed her joke. ‘You’re not a fan?’

Quinn shrugged loosely. ‘I’ve never really watched it, no.’

‘Oh boy, I can’t believe you’ve been in Canada this long and managed to avoid it, although I guess it’s the offseason. Hockey is like, Canada’s national sport. Up in Alberta, we’ve got the Calgary Flames or the Edmonton Oilers. Some people go big and support Vancouver Canucks, though, but that’s cheating.'

A smile started spreading over Quinn’s face. ‘I, uh, take it you’re a fan.’

‘I used to watch games with my brother,’ Georgie said, her voice carefully casual. Quinn’s eyes widened, just a little bit, enough to know he’d seen through her and knew how much that admission cost her. She’d never talked about her brother with Quinn before.

‘Well, I guess you’ll have to show me when they start playing again?’

‘I’d like that,’ Georgie answered, letting herself smile. She’d almost forgotten how much she liked hockey. She hadn’t watched it for years after she lost contact with her brother. It’d be weird to watch games with Quinn – but good too. Something to look forward to, maybe.

‘And the hair? An explanation?’

‘Oh, right – all the players grow their hair out so they can see it under their helmets – I think it helps them identify their teammates or something? Or it’s bad luck to cut it. Anyway,’ she said, tilting her head again to consider Quinn’s sandy burgeoning curls, ‘I think you’d look good with it longer, actually. It’d be hot.’

‘Hot, huh? Well, hockey hair it is, then,’ Quinn laughed. He surged forward again, yanking her forwards again in his lap, sliding his tongue against her mouth until she let him inside. The Henley shirt Quinn was wearing was surprisingly thick and she scratched at the waffle material until Quinn got the message and broke away to pull it over his head.

‘There,’ he grunted. ‘Your turn?’

Georgie peeled off her loose t-shirt, leaving her in a soft cotton bralet – the only thing she wore other than sports bras. Immediately, Quinn leaned forward to latch his lips onto the soft skin just on the edge of the scooped neckline and Georgie shivered, squirming.

‘You know,’ Quinn mumbled, ‘this is feeling pretty familiar.’

Georgie knew just what he was referencing – the very first night he stayed over, months ago now, when they’d been in just the same dangerous position on the couch.

‘At least you can stay and not fear for your life now,’ Georgie got out, before Quinn got impatient with her bra and just tugged the material down and out of his way. She groaned as he began to trace his tongue over her skin, around in circles, nearing her nipple, but not where she wanted his mouth.

‘Oh my god, Quinn,’ she gasped.

He looked up at her, grinning. ‘Yeah?’

‘Please,’ she said, whilst simultaneously grinding down on his body under hers – not consciously, but he was making her restless. He hissed and drew away, and Georgie wanted to sob.

‘See, now I can stay and do this,’ Quinn said, a gleam Georgie was both excited and daunted by in his eye. She was reminded of his strength, the way he could pick her up if he wanted to when he did just that and tossed her (as gently as possible) onto the couch so she was lying out on it. The surprise knocked the wind out of her a little until Quinn settled back between her legs, and his kisses moved from her chest across her stomach, around her belly button, making it flutter. He tugged on her leggings.

‘A little help?’

She scrambled to kick them off, Quinn pulling off the last little bit and chucking them somewhere behind them. His kisses trailed down to the band of her underwear instead and Georgie felt the breath catch in her throat, a sound between a hiccup and a moan finally escaping.

‘Tell me to stop if you want,’ Quinn said softly, looking up to catch her eye. Georgie found herself shaking her head before she even realized she was answering.

‘No, stop or no, go ahead?’

‘Yes, please.’ She didn’t even recognize her cracked, strung-out voice, but Quinn grinned at her anyway. It wasn’t even one of the options, but he understood.

‘Okay, shh,’ Quinn soothed, moving to kiss the inside of her thigh. She could feel his stubble on her skin, slight but noticeable, and it was electrifying. She squirmed again, and Quinn moved his hands to gently cup her thighs and hold them still.

‘Give me a second,’ he muttered, glancing up again to look at her. There was a look of determination there that she recognized from when he was riding – focused on his goal. Georgie wasn’t sure she’d survive that look.

Turns out, she didn’t. But in the best way.

Xxx

Later, when they were lying in bed, Georgie tipped over onto her back, staring up at the white sheets draped over the canopy.

‘Quinn?’

‘Hmmm?’ came his sleepy, mumbled reply. What was it with boys and being able to crash out like a light? They'd only said goodnight a moment ago. 

She’d been thinking this for a while, but the night with Jade bought it closer to the front of her mind again.

‘I’m sorry if you miss your friends back in Florida. It must suck – not seeing them.’

There was a rustle as Quinn rolled closer under the comforter, looking blearily at her. ‘Huh?’

‘It’s just… don’t get me wrong, I’m obviously happy you’re here, and even if you’re okay with being away from your parents, all you’ve got here is _me_ and _my_ family and _my_ friends.’

‘Well, I’d say that was a whole lot,’ Quinn answered, his voice rough with sleep. He must have been on the very verge of dropping off when Georgie interrupted him. She felt bad.

‘It’s not the same though is it?’ she said, biting her lip and looking back up at the ceiling. ‘I just don’t want you to feel, like, lonely in the fall semester.’

There was a long pause, longer than Georgie would have liked, before Quinn seemed to rouse himself and say something – or maybe he was just sleepy, still? Georgie felt her shoulders tense, regardless.

‘Shhh, c’mere,’ he said finally, reaching a hand over her stomach to slide her nearer. Georgie let herself be pulled, feeling her lips quirk into a smile when Quinn buried his nose into the warm crook of her neck. She bought up a hand to card through his hair, thick and springy beneath her fingers.

She would have to bring this up again, but not now. They had a lie-in tomorrow and nothing planned and she should focus on that, instead. She thought about hot coffee in the morning and whether they had eggs in the fridge – nice things. She pushed the nagging feeling down and closed her eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmmmm, trouble in paradise? 
> 
> Also, I couldn't resist putting hockey in there, what with the season starting again these past few days! Plus I think Jordan's hair in s14 is long bc he's in something playing an ice hockey player, aha. Besides, Alberta is hockey country. You wouldn't be able to avoid it!


End file.
